tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83330028480384964722024-02-07T12:58:25.603-06:00Eat. Pray. Run.Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-19088761219807849422011-07-21T22:06:00.000-05:002011-07-21T22:06:53.232-05:00False Start...Back to Square One and Hit Me With Your Best Shot.My first run since "The Stress Fracture Incident" (I thought if I called it something official, I might feel better about it) was two Saturdays ago. My runs/workouts have gone like this since that point:<br />
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Saturday 7/9: <b>*First run*</b> 3.4 miles outside, 9:18 pace (stupid, stupid, stupid)<br />
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Sunday 7/10: Hot Yoga, 1.5 hours (awesome, awesome, awesome)<br />
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Tuesday 7/12: 4.5 miles on the treadmill, first and last 5 minutes walking for "warm-up" and "cool-down" (as you'll note, each run getting progressively stupider) *Felt a slight <i>twinge</i> in what I would've characterized as my tibia, in the same spot that hurt before. Did I stop? No.* (SUPER STUPID)<br />
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Thursday 7/14: 45 minutes on the elliptical at level 5, 4.36 miles (I knew by now that things were starting to go downhill, so I thought if I eased off a bit and did this instead of running I might be able to save myself. A weak attempt at easing off, to say the least.)<br />
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Sunday 7/17: Hot Yoga, 1.5 hours (again, awesome)<br />
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Tuesday 7/19: 3.4 miles outside, 9:05 pace (do I have to even say it?)<br />
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Today 7/21: 3.0 miles outside, 9:03 pace (*sigh*) *My tibia hurt slightly at the beginning of this run, better during the rest of the run, but ached noticeably after I got home.*<br />
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It's plain to see where things went wrong here. RIGHT IN THE VERY BEGINNING. <i>I believe I may have posted something about how I</i> <a href="http://eatprayrun-lisa.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-gonna-run-again.html">"learned my lesson"</a> <i>on this injury thing, wherein I wrote this really "thoughtful" list of things I was going to do with this new beginning...it might have even involved me laughing soulfully in a field of wildflowers or something dramatic like that...</i> The first thing on that list was, and I quote:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;">"I will start back slowly (as much as it is going to KILL me). I'm just going to have to force this on myself."</span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;">Man, what a crock of sh*t! Who writes this stuff?? Obviously, it couldn't be me...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;">So, I won't drag this out any longer. My leg was either a) not ready to run yet or b) not ready to be pounded on in the less-than-gradual manner that I chose. (Or both??) Now, the same pain is back. It's not as bad, but it can't be ignored. I told my husband that my thinking was that I would run on it like I wanted to and either hope I got lucky and things turned out well, or get unlucky, have things turn out less-than-well and realize that this gradual thing is actually a necessity. Unlucky it is. Water jogging here I come.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18px;">And, on to other things...It's time for</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7NWuPUeglwU4qp3f5DznQi29dz10dU4Mc_Wsj2BTNjZwynGBzPKqbHOo6-ZJONQc1LkUzbuEpDDJr7Z0NSLOq3AU-PYACWbhf76ytefFffG9WbCIXtFVd7MzXz0Q-b6hh7qEFQs49wd4/s1600/Q%2526A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7NWuPUeglwU4qp3f5DznQi29dz10dU4Mc_Wsj2BTNjZwynGBzPKqbHOo6-ZJONQc1LkUzbuEpDDJr7Z0NSLOq3AU-PYACWbhf76ytefFffG9WbCIXtFVd7MzXz0Q-b6hh7qEFQs49wd4/s320/Q%2526A.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">EatPrayRunLisa</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;">Thank you (I think) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://50after40.blogspot.com/p/training.html">50 after 40 Jim</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.fastcory.com/">Fast Cory</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"> for suggesting that I take part in this little exercise that seems to be all the rage these days in blogland. So, you all know the deal by now. You ask me</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"><i>anything </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; line-height: normal;">you want, and I will try to answer your questions as honestly as I can (some names may have to be changed to protect the innocent, but I'll do what I can). Now, I've never received more than 16 comments on any one post, so I'm figuring I won't get very many questions. So, for those of you who do leave me a question, make it GOOD! Hit me with your best shot!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-78779356830471751882011-07-16T10:59:00.003-05:002011-07-16T11:05:14.545-05:00My Special Hidden Talent (aka SHiT)Okay, so yesterday <a href="http://www.shutupandrun.net/2011/07/special-hidden-talent-sht-giveaway.html" style="color: blue;">SUAR</a> set forth a challenge. She shared with us her Special Hidden Talent (which she termed her 'SHiT') and asked her readers to share their own 'SHiT' through commenting, blogging or vlogging about it. I decided to go the vlog route, since my last vlog attempt was so horrendous that I could not even bring myself to post it. I have to say, this vlog is not any less embarrassing, but isn't that the point of this exercise? So, here goes...check out my SHiT!<br />
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</div><iframe width="525" height="327" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/puoj2LjwH4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-14562441807745780952011-07-11T23:21:00.000-05:002011-07-11T23:21:25.698-05:00Everything is Spiritual ~ Church and Hot YogaSunday was an incredibly spiritual day for me. No, seriously. I think I wrote in <a href="http://eatprayrun-lisa.blogspot.com/2011/01/beginning.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #20124d;">my very first blog post</span></a> about spirituality and a sense of connectedness to everything, but I've pretty much stayed away from the subject otherwise. I'm not sure why. I guess I've worried about offending some or making myself feel exposed or vulnerable. But, quite honestly, my belief is that <b style="font-style: italic;">everything is spiritual. </b>And, if that's true, then it's something that should come through in all you do, say, write.<br />
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I certainly didn't come up with the phrase or idea that <i style="font-weight: bold;">everything is spiritual</i> myself. In our adult Sunday school class, we watched a DVD of a presentation (lecture? sermon? talk?) called <i>"Everything is Spiritual"</i> done by a guy named <a href="http://www.robbell.com/" style="color: blue;">Rob Bell</a>. I've seen a few other videos he's done and his ideas and how he presents them really speak to me.<br />
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">You know how you can have a certain belief or sense of some truth but can't exactly put it into words, and then someone puts that belief or truth so eloquently into words that you feel like they've just solidified it in your own mind in a way that it hadn't yet been solidified?</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Yeah. That's what happened to me.</span></i><br />
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I'm not going to go into the details of his presentation, because I'm not sure I even can. But, the idea that <i style="font-weight: bold;">everything is spiritual</i> rang so true. That The Divine (or whatever you want to call it) is not just in a certain place, at a certain time, with a certain group of people. Rather, The Divine can be found <i>everywhere, at any time and in everything.</i> Notice that I said "can be found" everywhere and not "is" everywhere. This was one of the things that really struck me. He says somewhere near the end of the presentation that "what you look for, you will find". I thought that was incredibly powerful and empowering in so many ways. The idea that <b>your </b>intentions and the posturing of <b>your own</b> heart will guide you to your truth. <i><b>Whoa</b></i>. I'm going to try to remember that each day when I wake up. <i>What you look for, you will find.</i><br />
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Everyone has different things that feed their spirit/soul. For a lot of you who are reading this that thing is running, or biking, or swimming, or yoga, or cooking, or any combination of these things. These are things that fill us up, make us feel more ourselves, bring us closer to what we might feel is our purpose. I'm grateful to have the belief that these things, these <i>any day of the week</i>, <i>any place on earth</i>,<i> any hour of the day</i> kinds of things can allow me to connect with The Divine. Everything I do, every interaction I have with another, is an opportunity to connect with The Divine.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">And then there was Hot Yoga...</span></i><br />
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I've been wanting to try this Hot Yoga class for a while now. It actually didn't look like it was going to work out for me to go on Sunday night, but as fate would have it, I made it there. As I was driving there I was thinking, "So what do you do when it's 99 degrees outside? You go to Hot Yoga!!" Yeah, it makes <i>perfect</i> sense. As I walked through the doors of the classroom I was hit by a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Wall of Hot</b></span>. I immediately started to wonder what I was getting myself into. I had already joked to my husband about passing out during the class. I started thinking it might not be much of a joke after all.<br />
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The class was crowded but I found myself a spot near the back of class, and right near one of the industrial looking heaters. <i>Oh boy</i>. The two people I had inserted myself between (they were having a lively conversation when I came in and squeezed between them) were immediately friendly and included me right away. It was my first time in the class but I already felt like I belonged. Very nice indeed ~ I was already sensing The Divine here. I was also sensing that it was hotter than hades. Really, I was getting a bit worried about this. The heat was making me feel almost panicky, like I just wanted to get up and run out of there. It's unnatural to want to hang out in an oven, right?? But, as I looked around the room, no one else seemed to share my concern, so I sucked it up and tried to embrace the heat.<br />
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As the class began I made sure to take it easy and guzzle as much water as I could. The teacher mentioned that the room was unusually hot because of the outside temps and the windows that get evening sun, and that the room was probably at about 100 degrees or so. She was really careful to ask us to take frequent water breaks.<br />
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And then I started sweating. I mean <i>really </i>sweating. And it.was.awesome. I could feel myself melting right into the room, right into each position. It didn't hurt that she played some great music too--a huge plus in my book. At one point, after some great poses and a great song ("Pass It Around" by Donovan Frankenreiter, by the way), I turned to the guy to my left and quietly said "This kicks ass!". He just laughed and nodded, as if to say "Yes, girl who's name I do not know, this does, indeed, kick ass."<br />
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I was amazed at what my body could do at these temperatures. My hamstrings tend to be pretty tight, but by the end of the class when we were doing our seated forward folds I could put my stomach on my thighs. That does not happen under normal conditions. I think I kind of lifted my head up to see if anyone else was seeing what I was seeing--um, hello, my stomach is touching my thighs people!! But, *strangely*, everyone else just seemed to be doing their own thing.<br />
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The instructor said a few things that also really struck me:<br />
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1. <i><b>Humility</b></i>. She mentioned the importance of humility, and that this is often not something that's encouraged in our society. She was talking about it in reference to only doing what you can in a pose--not pushing your body beyond what it's able to do right now. But, it's an idea that I think can be carried over to many other realms.<br />
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2. <b style="font-style: italic;">Be present. Be here. </b>She encouraged us to be fully present in each pose, to let the mind-clutter go if only for a moment. This is something I struggle with in my daily life. Being fully present for my kids. I'll continue to remind myself to be more fully present for them.<br />
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3. <i style="font-weight: bold;">To receive, you must first ask. </i>I loved this. It's okay to ask for what you need. And, what you look for, you will find.<br />
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One of my own truths is that <i>the sure way to happiness is a grateful heart.</i> I was so grateful for a day that filled me up so fully. It's now Monday night, and I'm still feeling the glow of my encounters with The Divine. And I'll continue to seek out The Divine in everything I do, in every place I go and in everyone I meet. <i>What you look for, you will find.</i><br />
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</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">I'm sure this is a touchy or too personal topic for some, but how do you experience The Divine? (or whatever you like to call it!)</span>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-14276877337244306372011-07-09T22:27:00.001-05:002011-07-10T06:21:06.283-05:00The Running Gods Have Smiled Down Upon Me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I woke up this morning, I knew today was the day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I put on my running clothes, my running shoes...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIl3qSmrmUQr06Bn8CoQAlsdAPJRjHqzVw6OYLxO6pqu1nuyToJIU7T0QsYHBb2y8ZxBbEuKgguG0d3V3wyGLFb4q3w8CWHG8Kke_CMcHE18f_T6O7wB-EMGvonZW83xfDGEZA0PAu3fL/s1600/CIMG1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIl3qSmrmUQr06Bn8CoQAlsdAPJRjHqzVw6OYLxO6pqu1nuyToJIU7T0QsYHBb2y8ZxBbEuKgguG0d3V3wyGLFb4q3w8CWHG8Kke_CMcHE18f_T6O7wB-EMGvonZW83xfDGEZA0PAu3fL/s400/CIMG1295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my cheap Timex Ironman watch...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIeqgnwRqMJ8oBR1rNG9BTUlVUFEXRXYmAyQ3GedtlH64L_mcEB0oIdC6mGetghf37geDzlzciCBD9SXiO5wzluP6hME2Z7jKaWDHvrnhX6cHE3ZPG4oWUoWK_H8GUQ0FV4s9G-trQuk4/s1600/CIMG1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIeqgnwRqMJ8oBR1rNG9BTUlVUFEXRXYmAyQ3GedtlH64L_mcEB0oIdC6mGetghf37geDzlzciCBD9SXiO5wzluP6hME2Z7jKaWDHvrnhX6cHE3ZPG4oWUoWK_H8GUQ0FV4s9G-trQuk4/s400/CIMG1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...even my RoadID wrist band.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(You know, in case I fell down 30 steps from my front door</div><div style="text-align: center;">and none of my neighbors could identify me.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The RoadID just makes me feel more runner-y, okay?!)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-e67LSbJ5c0fM3oav-d6hdD-vEjnaMp-8z5txajJEMeT63yOabS1jG7grW6QaY6Kaop4Uja7fKTUHJIo6bljr3Yz1zCNo44_aON99h6YzmrybkqElkZvrr5mFdMaXwMYBr7OM0i_tUVhD/s1600/CIMG1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-e67LSbJ5c0fM3oav-d6hdD-vEjnaMp-8z5txajJEMeT63yOabS1jG7grW6QaY6Kaop4Uja7fKTUHJIo6bljr3Yz1zCNo44_aON99h6YzmrybkqElkZvrr5mFdMaXwMYBr7OM0i_tUVhD/s400/CIMG1294.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i>And I was off!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Well, almost...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">My plan was to run only about a mile. Okay,<i> fine</i>, I didn't actually have a plan. I just figured I'd get out there and see how I felt. I was so curious to see how it was going to feel to run again! And I'd worked it up in my head that I was going to feel like passing out after about 15 steps, so I didn't expect to be able to go far at all. As I was getting ready to take off my friend (aka Running Partner Extraordinaire) Karen's garage door opened and I saw that she was getting in her car to drive somewhere for her Saturday morning long run (she was starting to get tired of circling round and round our neighborhood to get enough mileage). I stopped and waived at her and she came out to say hi. When I told her I was getting ready to go running she said right away that she'd just stay in the neighborhood and run with me. What a pal!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><i>And we were off!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not, in fact, feel like passing out after 15 steps. As a matter of fact, I ended up running 3.4 miles at basically the same pace I was running before the injury. Karen even told me I should probably slow down a bit at the beginning since we were running a sub-9 pace at that point--I obviously had "horse out of the gate" syndrome. It was warm and humid, but I didn't care about that this morning. It was good times being back out there. GOOD TIMES!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmb_I_xmLvoMsjV03eZ85qxfbdLogTxGMuQmxq2K2YudBClHklDRNdt2DrmpsOY6SrvNcgEMZUfkicRJ3wr9O9uCyjOLMLC3gK0OibkZxyjgRUdyUIgnTgMxaHbQw46m7mTDVY7y5_pAb/s1600/CIMG1299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmb_I_xmLvoMsjV03eZ85qxfbdLogTxGMuQmxq2K2YudBClHklDRNdt2DrmpsOY6SrvNcgEMZUfkicRJ3wr9O9uCyjOLMLC3gK0OibkZxyjgRUdyUIgnTgMxaHbQw46m7mTDVY7y5_pAb/s400/CIMG1299.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am happy to report that my entire run was completely <i><b>PAIN FREE</b>! </i>I guess I had gotten really used to running with the pain because without it, I almost felt like my leg was numb. You know that feeling when you've had the hiccups and they finally go away, but you're left with this sort of "phantom" hiccup feeling, like you're going to have a hiccup but it just never comes? Well, it was like that, but with my leg...and not hiccupping.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After our 3.4 miles together, I came home and Karen went back out for another 2.5 or so...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYFg3-9hjbzdSXq0APwqoqL6bw16OrrdpgyRWaakV_rpGI_RlkqYYmfpAOaj4qS__LYe8RuN0X-WpBCAmOlbxcI9ypPK2ID3ojJMUFjpEj9dXd1Vn76j1_IpKIz9JmhggUnqb2AspuMuK/s1600/CIMG1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYFg3-9hjbzdSXq0APwqoqL6bw16OrrdpgyRWaakV_rpGI_RlkqYYmfpAOaj4qS__LYe8RuN0X-WpBCAmOlbxcI9ypPK2ID3ojJMUFjpEj9dXd1Vn76j1_IpKIz9JmhggUnqb2AspuMuK/s400/CIMG1300.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Karen!!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, I had considered taking a video clip of the first part of my run. After seeing some fun vlog entries from <a href="http://runninghood-amanda.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">Amanda at Runninghood</span></a> and<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c;"> <a href="http://runningsane.blogspot.com/">Jenn at Running Sane</a>, </span>I thought it would be a cool way to document my first run post-injury. Once I hooked up with Karen though, I ditched the idea. But, I did record a little video clip of myself sitting on my front porch after my run, speaking very awkwardly (VERY AWKWARDLY) into the camera and sweating to beat the band. And while I was doing that my neighbor (Karen's husband) came out to get his newspaper and there I was, just sitting on my porch, holding my camera at arm's length from my face, talking to myself. Embarrassing? Just a little...I lost it after that and had to start over. The resulting video was so mortifying that I absolutely CAN NOT post it on here!! Seriously...it's bad. But, I still think the vlog idea is really fun, so maybe some other time...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><i>I am feeling so grateful today for being able to get back out there and run this morning!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>So, what do you think? Do you like seeing people's vlog entries?</i></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-79017305812725592182011-07-08T22:24:00.000-05:002011-07-08T22:24:21.349-05:00I'm Gonna Run Again!I feel as if I'm embarking on a new beginning of sorts. Because, yes...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><i>The time has finally come, people!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><i>I am now clear to start <b>RUNNING</b> again.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I feel like this is the beginning of a new chapter in running for me. A little more than a year ago, for the first time in a long time, I decided to put one foot in front of the other to see where running would take me. Throughout the months that followed I went farther and faster than I'd ever imagined I could (I should mention here that I have a pretty crappy, limited capacity for imagination), and my hopes and expectations for my running just kept getting bigger. I did some things right, and I did some things <i>really</i> wrong. I went about running in a pretty haphazard fashion. I didn't respect my body's signals and, in return, my body sort of stood there with it's hand on it's hip and said "Oh really? We'll just see about that..." My body decided to teach me a lesson.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><i>The lesson was: Hey doofball! You just started really running a year ago, you're almost 35, and you're not doing a whole lot in the way of stretching, strength training, cross-training, or any of that other crap you could be doing to make this easier on yourself, not to mention helping you become a better runner to boot!</i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Well, ten-four good body! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(ha ha, I made a funny. sorry.)</i></span> I have had<i> 6 long weeks</i> to think about this lesson, and I read you loud and clear. So, as I start over again, I want to make the best of this "clean slate" and here's how:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>I will start back slowly (as much as it is going to KILL me). I'm just going to have to force this on myself.</li>
<li>I will continue on with the yoga I've gotten back into. Doing the yoga has made me realize just how inflexible I was and I understand how important the flexibility is in preventing further injury.</li>
<li>I will incorporate cross-training into my routine in the forms of yoga, spin and swimming. Yes, I said swimming. ACK! It scares me just to write that out, but I've been inspired by Kris at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.krismbeal.com/">The Heart and Humor of Being Human</a>. </span>She recently began a swimming routine and made it sound doable even for a swim-a-phobe like me. Now, I will say that I will not be doing a whole lot of this cross-training until the school year starts because I just don't make it over to our gym very often during the summer while my kids are home with me. But, come September, when my kids are both in school and I'm working at the preschool, which just happens to be about 3 minutes from my gym, I should have no excuses.</li>
<li>I will start running more races and will look for a charitable cause to run for. I see now that races are a great way to keep your training purposeful and on track, and running for a charitable cause gives your training real meaning. I feel lucky to be able to do these things and should show the universe some gratitude by making it count for others.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsEIINR-FtPZ9cH4-dncollKdMrjxUpRAk7h5-_WzdrcjBTrtCZZ6cJWoHwiqBRwI9HrGJIYcCzKoy8LuSEPMuhmvSXHSqlCC5Wk_Mm1rkSsJSyjdZpSa7ovH6ra-w_S5JRZlwSksxbe2/s1600/CIMG1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsEIINR-FtPZ9cH4-dncollKdMrjxUpRAk7h5-_WzdrcjBTrtCZZ6cJWoHwiqBRwI9HrGJIYcCzKoy8LuSEPMuhmvSXHSqlCC5Wk_Mm1rkSsJSyjdZpSa7ovH6ra-w_S5JRZlwSksxbe2/s400/CIMG1292.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In preparation for some early morning runs the alarm clock has been moved back over to my nightstand!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, here I go...can't wait to start putting one foot in front of the other again.</div></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-14266051629890838122011-07-03T23:29:00.000-05:002011-07-03T23:29:26.785-05:00Firecrackers for Your Mouth -- Happy 4th of July!It occurred to me that it's been a really long time since I've posted a recipe. I love finding and creating new recipes and I love to cook. Making food makes me happy! So here's what made me happy today:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos!</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I found this recipe in the most recent issue of Cooking Light magazine and made it today for the second time. I made a few minor modifications.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26NnjVAbORh0aB1xmhc0gc179qHLFkFfSUoinhaZtd11qjVIpoRmQVinIO8erFOnvxTsLZJGsR71wTsc9V9VEDzCjI58vPqA_S1PSRbyTYWu5EIpGwrA0BEF2YQ7a8ivhxktPEftqqPRP/s1600/CIMG1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26NnjVAbORh0aB1xmhc0gc179qHLFkFfSUoinhaZtd11qjVIpoRmQVinIO8erFOnvxTsLZJGsR71wTsc9V9VEDzCjI58vPqA_S1PSRbyTYWu5EIpGwrA0BEF2YQ7a8ivhxktPEftqqPRP/s400/CIMG1254.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><u><i>Ingredients</i></u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>2 slices center cut bacon</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>8 oz. 1/3-less fat cream cheese</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1/4 cup minced green onions</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1 teaspoon fresh lime juice</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1 clove garlic, minced</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>14 small jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>Cooking spray</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (we have a gas grill that gets insanely hot, so we only turn it on to low).</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>2. Cook the bacon according to package directions until crispy. Remove bacon from pan to drain on paper towels (I actually cook my bacon in the microwave or the oven) and, once cooled, crumble.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>3. Combine crumbled bacon, cheeses, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl, stirring to combine.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgC1kU2M3cxDvp7wgHR3aAZNqw9GT5tXA9Ld4vXoJWt3id_Z5p4eS4qR9ONUz4NmLIINqraCV9L2KDMK9ouAIAbT8Jqjs3APkeIrhr5WRQYMmJVVP-AVLvo_lUiSv_8dcd0z1u4YLLG1A/s1600/CIMG1272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgC1kU2M3cxDvp7wgHR3aAZNqw9GT5tXA9Ld4vXoJWt3id_Z5p4eS4qR9ONUz4NmLIINqraCV9L2KDMK9ouAIAbT8Jqjs3APkeIrhr5WRQYMmJVVP-AVLvo_lUiSv_8dcd0z1u4YLLG1A/s400/CIMG1272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2rC5Ucvz9VAyJetMPfUBKyq2ER8IVS7rKlvZDyfLw8jXTuBmF1Yx4aihtSuR9k30f9Ip4piGVweKnr1lIYA6ul-R8N-8h7cJl43XE8dwQA9s4MHf-vXD9hmes5b_dUZl2lCvlgPF9gvI/s1600/CIMG1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2rC5Ucvz9VAyJetMPfUBKyq2ER8IVS7rKlvZDyfLw8jXTuBmF1Yx4aihtSuR9k30f9Ip4piGVweKnr1lIYA6ul-R8N-8h7cJl43XE8dwQA9s4MHf-vXD9hmes5b_dUZl2lCvlgPF9gvI/s400/CIMG1274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>4. Spread cheese mixture into each jalapeno half. Place peppers, cheese side up, onto a piece of foil that's been sprayed with cooking spray and placed on the grill. Grill for approximately 8 minutes, until bottoms of the peppers are charred and cheese mixture is slightly browned.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkyEEomXZKA4kX3c8nl9Vy7t1D2ohcSBSFqYi4C8qcQewd-vB1wHWVq6g10Tbq6Wn_PMBBDB8WanLSug66Cfxr3C7iYZylzqhDKFpU__L6CBTT1NShm_I9EWDAcTOPc_GrUeRg6EIY44m/s1600/CIMG1276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkyEEomXZKA4kX3c8nl9Vy7t1D2ohcSBSFqYi4C8qcQewd-vB1wHWVq6g10Tbq6Wn_PMBBDB8WanLSug66Cfxr3C7iYZylzqhDKFpU__L6CBTT1NShm_I9EWDAcTOPc_GrUeRg6EIY44m/s400/CIMG1276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>I made enough for tonight and tomorrow night!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i>5. Place peppers on a serving platter and, if desired, sprinkle with chopped tomato and cilantro.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">They turned out beautifully and you might be wondering where the picture of the final product is, but my dang camera died! So you'll just have to believe me when I tell you that they looked and tasted great. They've got a perfect amount of heat to them, I love the fresh garlic and green onion flavor, the slight tang from the lime juice, and the bacon gives them a really nice smoky flavor. Needless to say, I popped more than a few of these "firecrackers" in my mouth tonight.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">What special foods will you be making for the 4th?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your holiday and good luck to all those running races tomorrow!</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-47103031373406220242011-06-30T10:57:00.000-05:002011-06-30T10:57:15.473-05:00Progressive Eating and 6am Yoga<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It occurs to me that I haven't been talking about eating NEARLY enough lately. I mean, I'm not running right now (FYI, 10 more days), so it's the perfect opportunity to focus on food for a while. Many of you have heard of the term Progressive Run.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">"A Progressive Run sounds just like what it means. The run gets progressively faster each mile. If you are having problems closing out a race or holding onto your pace in the later stages, I strongly recommend this workout." tips4running.com</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But, have you ever heard the term Progressive Eating? Probably not. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> That's because I just made it up.</span> It's the kind of workout I imagine competitive eaters doing. Possibly one of the grossest sports ever, but a sport nonetheless. Well, the other day I realized that more often than not, I am a Progressive Eater. You know, you wake up in the morning, breathe in the possibilities of a new day and eat a <i>petite</i> bowl of fruit with just a <i>dollop</i> of non-fat plain yogurt. You think to yourself smugly "MAN I'm healthy! Check ME out!"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then 10am rolls around and you wonder what the heck you were thinking with that pathetic <i>petite</i> and <i>dollop</i> crap, and you fix yourself a proper bowl of cereal. <i>Phew</i>, that's better.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now it's 12:30 and you've <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">obviously</span> burned through that bowl of cereal by now, so you make yourself a sandwich and some Sun Chips (those are healthy, right?) and I'd love to say a side salad, but no, that would just use up sandwich and Sun Chip space.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3:00. STARVING. Fix another bowl of cereal possibly. Maybe some toast with some more fruit. But not a <i>petite</i> bowl this time. You just eat as much as you can right out of the bowl you've got the fruit in or the blueberry or strawberry container.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>**At this point in the post, you should insert the sound of a train chugging along at increasing speed, as if going downhill without the breaks on**</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5:30. Start making dinner and "taste test" everything as you go along. Feeling kinda full from all your "taste testing" by the time you sit down to eat, but it's dinner time, <i>you gotta eat.</i> Feeling like you might bust by the end of the meal.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_yiUjkv_WXxp7h0Y3zO-4Wf03mEYt3Ucm4EgvcabFq14LbUEksJ0sx_YX1fFR7NFvWQcOob1rTVsJH8It0W51gTPQgd_UfL57e-iFqnKnYKfTQJE__2ZnY5Sr7FhR3Vq3XYnBxZ31Obn/s1600/CIMG1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_yiUjkv_WXxp7h0Y3zO-4Wf03mEYt3Ucm4EgvcabFq14LbUEksJ0sx_YX1fFR7NFvWQcOob1rTVsJH8It0W51gTPQgd_UfL57e-iFqnKnYKfTQJE__2ZnY5Sr7FhR3Vq3XYnBxZ31Obn/s400/CIMG1251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a good dinner it was. That's a Cajun Hamburger under those avocado and tomato slices.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">**Your family goes for a long walk/bike ride around the neighborhood between dinner and bedtime, burning at least 87 calories.**</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your after dinner "workout" leaves you with a huge hungry whole in your belly, so you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">must</span> have another bowl of cereal at about 10:30.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">WOOO WOOOOOOO!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the train finally pulls into the station...it's bedtime.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I read back over this, it doesn't seem all that bad. And most of what I eat is pretty healthy. But, some days I do feel like a runaway train with my eating.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Progressive Running: good</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Progressive Eating: probably bad</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">(you like how I leave my options open with the use of 'probably'?)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">****************************************************************************</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mine eyes finally saw the glory of 5:30am this morning! Since I haven't been going on my early morning runs (10 more days, if you didn't catch that first reference) I've been letting myself sleep in. At first this seemed like a treat. Then it started to get out of hand. I actually slept until 8 o'clock one morning last week!! AACK!! This did not feel so much like a treat. I felt like I'd missed half the day! And I didn't feel more rested, I felt groggy. Ick. I did not want to do that again. And, to be perfectly honest, I've really been missing seeing the early morning hours. There's just nothing like being awake for the beginning of a new day. So, yesterday I signed myself up to go to a 6am yoga class. The alarm went off at 5:25 and I happily rolled out of bed. I won't say I "popped up" or anything, but I didn't begrudge the awakening. I drove to the yoga studio with the windows rolled down and the music up. The sun was rising, the air was fresh (as fresh as it can be with 80% humidity anyway) and I was glad to be awake. The yoga class was good. Only about 7 of us. I love to start the day with a good stretch. I need to remember to make this a part of my routine even after I get back to running.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Are you a Progressive Eater?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Do you enjoy being up early in the morning?</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-63529544974833011172011-06-27T22:46:00.000-05:002011-06-27T22:46:46.304-05:00Getting Sweaty, The Kona Ironman and Bacon (this is just for you, Amanda!)Today I actually got sweaty. WOOHOO!! Man, I've really been missing that drippy, stinky feeling.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;">Did I go for a run, you ask?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;">No, I did not.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;">Only 12 more days though.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;">But, who's counting??</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-small;">Oh, yeah...ME.</span></div><br />
I was over at my parent's house and noticed the recumbent bike, that I'd forgotten they owned, in their office. I just <i>happened</i> to have on my running capris, a sports bra, a tank top and my running shoes.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Because <i>this</i> is the sad state of affairs:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Me wearing my running clothes even though</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">I know I won't be doing any running.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Hey, if it makes me feel better, right?</span></b></div><br />
And, while I would've scoffed at that bike a few months ago...<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><b>"Stationary bike? Pshaw. I'm a RUN-NER. Duh."</b></span></i></div><br />
<i>...</i>today that thing looked pretty sweet. Since my kids were busy watching Alvin and The Chipmunks on demand, I seized my opportunity and got on that bike. I messed around for a few minutes with the Fitness Test mode and realized I was starting to get downright damp (I apologize if this is getting too graphic for some of you). With this realization I decided to get down to business. So I set that baby on manual, level 4 (you're impressed...I know.) for 25 minutes (not sure how I settled on 25...seemed more doable than 30 and less wimpy then 20, I guess.) and peddled my little heart out. By 15 minutes into it I was feeling like this was actually pretty hard work, and yes, I was <i>sweating! </i> (I actually just sang that word out loud as I typed it.) I ended up going a little over 9 miles on my glorious little 25 minute bike ride. Hooray for sweat!<br />
<br />
So, The Kona Ironman...As I'm sure most of you know, this is the <i>ultimate goal</i> for those who do triathlons. Even a sprint triathlon would scare the hooey out of me, but I know that Kona is where you go if you're the best of the best in this event. Well, this afternoon I got an email from one of my co-workers (we don't see each other over the summer since we work in a pre-school) who has a son who competes in Ironman and endurance races and does very well. VERY well. He just did an Ironman in Oregon/Washington yesterday and qualified for Kona!! My co-worker knew how excited I'd be to hear about this and how much I'd appreciate her son's accomplishment. I felt honored that she wanted me to know about it and was so glad to be able to share in her joy and pride. Her whole family will be heading to Kona to cheer him on later this year. So exciting!! I told her if I were rich I'd be buying myself a plane ticket to come cheer him on too!! I also asked her to tell him that he should start blogging about his road to Kona--I would totally read that!<br />
<br />
Annnnnd, on to the bacon. <a href="http://runninghood-amanda.blogspot.com/">Amanda</a>, this is just for you! (Although, I just read about how sick you and your kiddos have been, so I hope this doesn't add insult to injury.) I just found it funny today that we are a family that basically never has bacon in the house--it is a rare "treat" (not how Amanda would see it). Strangely, ever since Amanda wrote <a href="http://runninghood-amanda.blogspot.com/2011/06/time-for-everythingeven-bacon-and.html">this post</a> about cooking bacon for her husband on Father's Day and how much she <i><b>abhors</b></i> it, and posted on Facebook about how horrible it smells, looks, tastes, we have had bacon THREE TIMES. What the heck?! Is Amanda working undercover for the pig farming industry and using some sort of powerful reverse psychology to get us to eat <i style="font-weight: bold;">as much bacon as possible?? </i>I don't know, but it all seems a little strange...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6zxVkpj0t0UeF1CtbS_EDnJ8sR1TfQ9xug9YnYbDXX_BtemgPyBrYIsIPD-HvfJkkZm8as_ogj5NsMV4QK_9RVK8WRzhCdDS386zMSS1SeYVAFWpozT5gQz4Ijy_hKIxFy4rHyom6eUZ/s1600/CIMG1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6zxVkpj0t0UeF1CtbS_EDnJ8sR1TfQ9xug9YnYbDXX_BtemgPyBrYIsIPD-HvfJkkZm8as_ogj5NsMV4QK_9RVK8WRzhCdDS386zMSS1SeYVAFWpozT5gQz4Ijy_hKIxFy4rHyom6eUZ/s400/CIMG1233.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">So, here's the offending bacon. I do like to cook it in the oven vs. the stovetop to</div><div style="text-align: center;">avoid all that nasty grease splatter</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBuTuHdbnwlWRo_3rwU009hCPM8xxSZccUok5M-h40zWayiHKtQTvq4rZGXHj20Dmq1k-xcsmImq9FBZ_hDBFeR5_8J93NKqF5eOAyt1MHzQnzeGCtCwdYA8y2u6-FmU5B5waCAhsQJ3w/s1600/CIMG1235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBuTuHdbnwlWRo_3rwU009hCPM8xxSZccUok5M-h40zWayiHKtQTvq4rZGXHj20Dmq1k-xcsmImq9FBZ_hDBFeR5_8J93NKqF5eOAyt1MHzQnzeGCtCwdYA8y2u6-FmU5B5waCAhsQJ3w/s400/CIMG1235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's where all that horrible bacon went tonight, in a Broccoli Salad.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And just so you know that we do eat bacon-free food, here's a couple pics of some other food we've had lately. You know how I love to throw out random food shots on here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHSUSGZCwWJUZrkVDcvkxtab25OBgj4k882SSCpT7KtKVz_x6iUY1kK6oZVTndF5D2JfX72UgIwh8oUXs1_6fjZgUOwdPLTPyFPmLDdIxIBNOrZ_okkvh3G7iE5y7eFfQ8QTSc7Z846C_/s1600/CIMG1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHSUSGZCwWJUZrkVDcvkxtab25OBgj4k882SSCpT7KtKVz_x6iUY1kK6oZVTndF5D2JfX72UgIwh8oUXs1_6fjZgUOwdPLTPyFPmLDdIxIBNOrZ_okkvh3G7iE5y7eFfQ8QTSc7Z846C_/s400/CIMG1221.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Strawberry-Mango "Salsa Salad" that I made up.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Worked great as a fruit salad, but would also be totally delicious on a black-bean burger.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uI6LncUMLJjRAZHRN6S7GRjM6G7LYyc81QEiOxyWpR-kSDTlgw1k8Hf8Doar8BoN1ISx-st6B-ZZwII1r7ogbIkTzyH2qVAKaRc5R-Baz3b-2WfS3oV8IvvMjqAUwiLMkxMeOqUrQQ1k/s1600/CIMG1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uI6LncUMLJjRAZHRN6S7GRjM6G7LYyc81QEiOxyWpR-kSDTlgw1k8Hf8Doar8BoN1ISx-st6B-ZZwII1r7ogbIkTzyH2qVAKaRc5R-Baz3b-2WfS3oV8IvvMjqAUwiLMkxMeOqUrQQ1k/s400/CIMG1197.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fresh Tomato "Sauce". I also made this one up. (Do you see a color theme here?)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHH9pMrSdbV5CLGfivINv0atl6xFbkSR9eWNQB-ocfYI8GhuX2FJxtl-MFnp2RZR1pVfdHmi5cnbrGKnyens_dCvmdRvy0pQjY-hO97Etjm2YuWUWBWPkNsi9w4DybWY5_iwhcxC73fUwE/s1600/CIMG1201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHH9pMrSdbV5CLGfivINv0atl6xFbkSR9eWNQB-ocfYI8GhuX2FJxtl-MFnp2RZR1pVfdHmi5cnbrGKnyens_dCvmdRvy0pQjY-hO97Etjm2YuWUWBWPkNsi9w4DybWY5_iwhcxC73fUwE/s400/CIMG1201.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the Fresh Tomato "Sauce" on top of angel hair pasta with fresh mozzarella and a nice grind of black pepper. This is my kind of meal...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Do you like being sweaty?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Have you ever been to Kona to watch the Ironman?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Anyone else been bingeing on bacon since Amanda said it was gross??</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-19103116470438687962011-06-17T22:24:00.000-05:002011-06-17T22:24:10.403-05:00Finding My Zen.I took my kids to a friends' neighborhood pool this afternoon and on the way home something happened that almost <i>NEVER</i> happens where we live. I got STUCK IN TRAFFIC. Now, I realize that I am completely spoiled in not having to commute to a job every day, or even drive around town during times of the day when traffic is heavy. But, I grew up in the DC/Baltimore area, so I <b><i>know</i></b> traffic and have had plenty of harrowing traffic experiences in my lifetime (have you ever driven the DC Beltway? Absolute.Torture.). As I sat there today, at a complete standstill in a line of cars that I could not see the front of, with my kids asking me "Mom, why are we just sitting here?", a great sense of calm came over me. Because, you know what? There wasn't a darn thing I could do about it. I had already snaked my way through some back roads to try to find a less congested path home, but to no avail. So we sat, and waited our turn. I turned up the music, I hung my hand out the window, I noticed how warm the sun was. I felt pretty zen at that moment.<br />
<br />
All of this made me think about how I've been fighting this injury thing. I haven't really even accepted that I'm actually injured--there was no hard evidence, afterall. Every day I wake up and wish I was going for a run. Most days I even consider <i>actually</i> <i>going</i> for a run. Just a quick one. Could it really be that bad for me? Then I step down with too much force coming down the stairs or quicken my step to cross the street to go to the mailbox and the same pain is there. Again, I'm reminded that something still isn't quite right in that left leg of mine. Fine, I surrender. And that's really it:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I need to just surrender.</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Because, you know what?</div><div style="text-align: center;">There's not a darn thing I can do about it.</div><br />
It is what it is, and the more I try to fight it, the harder it becomes. I do believe that the universe sends things your way for a reason, and the more you try to fight against them the more the universe pushes them back at you until you finally learn your lesson. It's time to get zen about this injury and stop trying to fight against the flow of things. I think if I can find a way to stop trying to take a shot at the universe, I could actually come out of this with grace and new found strength. So, that's what I'm going to work on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjfpGPW9NDxDt_ON5MheoKB9vVZ-zOnOkkd2IvWYLv4mcZiKxiqrTgqWsgwij0mfgCbHwILFDd2eDs7HupFOjYEwyZR5hrMIp2yqyLQ-dByB1uIPhyphenhyphen8TeQw28JsYNqrhwV_prQBA1t_A6/s1600/CIMG1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjfpGPW9NDxDt_ON5MheoKB9vVZ-zOnOkkd2IvWYLv4mcZiKxiqrTgqWsgwij0mfgCbHwILFDd2eDs7HupFOjYEwyZR5hrMIp2yqyLQ-dByB1uIPhyphenhyphen8TeQw28JsYNqrhwV_prQBA1t_A6/s400/CIMG1196.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here I am with my Zen face on. Don't I look serene? (I also look like I just came home from a run which, sadly, is not true. Geez, I suppose I could put on something other than a sports bra and a ratty tank top.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKorQLFs6bc55Ogz9Zr0UjRfiDV5UZMPpZ_OD_7YM1QVefA5CfB0GXpZm8KLbNXDHUjsHD8a_wY3aCYz468ke6dJUtSy4pUotXPUDpUOO36W8Db2RFWrvZzJhIXVlVg4cjSG45RbpYaA-/s1600/CIMG1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKorQLFs6bc55Ogz9Zr0UjRfiDV5UZMPpZ_OD_7YM1QVefA5CfB0GXpZm8KLbNXDHUjsHD8a_wY3aCYz468ke6dJUtSy4pUotXPUDpUOO36W8Db2RFWrvZzJhIXVlVg4cjSG45RbpYaA-/s400/CIMG1193.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's my Zen legs. That left one sure doesn't look stress fractured!</div><br />
Things I have been doing, instead of running:<br />
<br />
1. Yoga - as many consecutive Sun Salutations (Ashtange style, baby!) as I can handle when I get up in the morning. This has been a huge positive in what seems like a huge negative. Man, was I totally inflexible! I should've been doing this all along. Who knows, maybe that was part of the problem. Plus, I'm going to start teaching yoga to preschooler's this fall, so it would probably be good to be able to say that I actual <i>do </i>yoga.<br />
<br />
2. Free weights - just some basic upper body moves with some old school metal dumbells we've got in our closet. I think my husband worries that I might start to look too "beefy". I don't think this will be an issue...But, I am enjoying focusing on my arms. They're not lookin' too bad, if I do say so myself.<br />
<br />
3. Eating a crap-TON of fruit - seriously, today I ate: a few handfulls of blueberries, a plum, half a banana, a quarter of a canteloupe and a whole mango. Tomorrow ought to be interesting, don't you think? But, seriously, I am aware that I'm burning a lot less calories these days, so I'm trying not to let that creep up on me.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hey fruit!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnP2-revYZPyeidlW-FVHEVwhGlecWOckXBHAf5S7fmJX4-zvmVkC5_X1lPe_R3c_PrQjg_EKIQqwQhKylZ7Yw7fZiQsvKWk2HY3dwsHbAm7xRMSsrDFAfCJsN7qMPW6TFvM7poxvVJG3/s1600/CIMG1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnP2-revYZPyeidlW-FVHEVwhGlecWOckXBHAf5S7fmJX4-zvmVkC5_X1lPe_R3c_PrQjg_EKIQqwQhKylZ7Yw7fZiQsvKWk2HY3dwsHbAm7xRMSsrDFAfCJsN7qMPW6TFvM7poxvVJG3/s320/CIMG1189.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlATbA740Kn9CzcnzAthqvTLzLFeO_TdUGk8e8y5sjBF8-yeAB3tHdO_U2yLPqUO5KP-e8sXLpnk96NSrRJRXg6yQGZkQfkWcV7UVuAe8DGjgJhgLjbaM345MdqPquQ4GnfMAdlwymF655/s1600/CIMG1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlATbA740Kn9CzcnzAthqvTLzLFeO_TdUGk8e8y5sjBF8-yeAB3tHdO_U2yLPqUO5KP-e8sXLpnk96NSrRJRXg6yQGZkQfkWcV7UVuAe8DGjgJhgLjbaM345MdqPquQ4GnfMAdlwymF655/s320/CIMG1188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Get in my belly!!</span></div><br />
Things I <b>haven't</b> been doing, instead of running:<br />
<br />
1. Swimming - I've said this before, I am a horrible swimmer. Plus, my darn gym is approximately 19 minutes away. Not terribly convenient.<br />
<br />
2. Cycling - Again, my gym is (refer to the above statement). I actually called my gym last night to put my name on the list for this morning's 5:30 spin class. Um, yeah...I didn't make that. I think that kind of dedication is up on another level. A level that I, apparently, do not aspire to reach.<br />
<br />
So, I'm not expecting my cardio to stay where it was. This might just be something I'll have to deal with building back up. (Ommmmmm.)<br />
<br />
Funny how running can be such a mental sport, because it seems that <b>not </b>running requires just as much mental stamina...Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-8402610086392656152011-06-12T00:55:00.001-05:002011-06-12T07:42:53.600-05:00I did a bad, bad thing...Sooooo...two weeks ago...before I'd gone to see the ortho doc who told me I shouldn't run for 6 weeks...I signed up to run a local 5k (Lee's Summit Night Flight). I'd just started running again after taking two weeks off to give my left leg a break, and I was feeling good. A friend of mine from work was going to be running this 5k and it was her first race ever! I knew it would be fun to be there to see her cross the finish line and I haven't really run any races since I got back into running a year ago. The only other 5k I've ever run was in 1997 with one of my best friends from high school (ironically, another night time race) and I'm pretty sure I crossed the finish line at something like 36:00. So I was feeling excited to get out there and see what I could do now.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, after my visit with the doctor, I ruled out running the 5k.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You know, since you have to actually <b>run</b> in it,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>and those were pretty much the only instructions the doctor gave me</i>: </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">DON'T RUN FOR 6 WEEKS</span></b>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, up until about an hour before the race, I planned on NOT running it. But, as the evening wore on, I was feeling more and more antsy to get out there and just run it. The race start time was 9pm. At about 8:15 we got home from watching a friend's baseball game and I was going to head right back out by myself to the race to watch my friend. Instead, I changed into my running clothes at lightning speed, called my friend and told her I was getting dressed and would be there as soon as possible and would meet her near the start. My husband and kids ended up driving me there, thinking they would just drop me off and let my friend drive me home. I pinned my race bib on in the car. We got there at about 8:35 (not bad!). I saw Jim from <a href="http://50after40.blogspot.com/">50...after 40</a> pass right by us as we walked from where we were parked to the start. I knew he was doing his warm-up run. It was pretty crowded at the start area but I was able to meet up with two of my co-workers (and saw tons of people we knew along the way--I kind of forgot it was such a popular local race). The weather was beautiful, cooler than it has been and not nearly as humid. I was pretty stoked (oh, you thought that was a word only surfers could use?).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As it got close to 9pm, I said goodbye to my husband and kids who were just going to stay to see us cross the starting line. There were markers for where to stand for different pace groups, but I hung back thinking I was definitely going to have to take it easy (actually, I <i>promised</i> my husband I would take it easy). So when the start was announced I didn't even make it across the starting line for about a minute. I waved at my family and I was off. It was really crowded and I was still assessing my leg situation (sore, but not too bad) so it was slow going for about the first half mile. After that I was feeling really good and started to speed up and weave my way through the crowd. When we reached the 1 mile marker, the lady called out something like 10:23. I knew I could go faster than that and my leg was actually feeling good. From that point on I felt like I just slowly but steadily increased my pace as I worked to pass other runners. I had a lot of "oops" moments when I'd almost get shoved out between two people or try to get between a runner and a parked car with what ended up being not quite enough room. Generally speaking, it was great fun ( : I finally started to feel like I was actually getting tired at about 2.5, but knew I was close to the finish. I focused on each runner that I wanted to overtake and actually made it happen. I was having a total blast!! I crossed the finish at 28:58 with a chip time of 27:59, and there was my whole family cheering me on! They'd decided to stay and see me finish! It was pretty awesome. I was pretty happy with my time, especially since I definitely didn't give it all I had. I came in 9th out of 65 in my age group (a single-digit place! isn't there a medal for that??). No matter how I placed, I was so pshyched just to see my name in print on the results page. I'm definitely feeling like I've got the race bug now...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I ran into Jim and his daughter, Madi, after the race near the food and water tables. We got to talk for a few minutes, but I still didn't get to meet Michael! Soon, hopefully. By the way, Jim totally KILLED IT last night. 1st in age group and 15th overall, I believe. And, his daughter Madi PR'd! Very impressed!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, my leg felt really good while I was running last night and isn't feeling too shabby today. I iced it for a long time after I got home last night and took some ibuprofin last night and this morning. I'm feeling kind of unsure about the diagnosis at this point. And, of course, I'd love to think that I really don't need to stay off the running for six weeks...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>what do you think??? </b></span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-38913180630897105532011-06-07T23:34:00.000-05:002011-06-07T23:34:44.722-05:00What Blog? and Injured.Whoa. So, I've been gone for a while. For more than a month, actually. I wouldn't be suprised if most of you have completely written off my blog. I think I almost did. I tried to sit down and write a post about 8 different times in the past month, but it just wasn't happening. I lost my blogging mojo, to say the least.<br />
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The month of May was a whirlwind of life events that seemed to capture all of my time and energy. Let it be known that I am a terrible multi-tasker! (I'm actually having trouble concentrating on writing this post right now because I'm also listening to music that I really like to sing along to. I'm one of those annoying people who can't NOT sing a song when they know the words.) So, when my routine gets thrown off balance I only have the mental stamina to take care of the absolute necessities. Blogging does not fall into that category. But, I have missed it.<br />
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So, here are some things that happened "while I was gone"...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOId09OmpOqVyjsw3X8lxq3pt0QC-ZH9dzy_2Nh70n8TW1QhqSQzZiMX_acUu_Iw9XG15FLUJ5coSAf68-PxMetmYjpDC0yxRcVFMynPFaIutjTiiRr69sMwKmP985Wc3VEyF5klRLVqp/s1600/CIMG1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOId09OmpOqVyjsw3X8lxq3pt0QC-ZH9dzy_2Nh70n8TW1QhqSQzZiMX_acUu_Iw9XG15FLUJ5coSAf68-PxMetmYjpDC0yxRcVFMynPFaIutjTiiRr69sMwKmP985Wc3VEyF5klRLVqp/s400/CIMG1005.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4p5x8tU-5vz4yniZW0TdlFDowOklTzVV6jbx5dXxY-rA0AueSK3jKxTzKVVpnJ7bxnPefHo3s3bzgBC2lm95MsleamxAOfMeEvKDWD9EiZLprG8S6JfZR_NggHrYvnS46KZ_WtJSYUt1/s1600/CIMG1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4p5x8tU-5vz4yniZW0TdlFDowOklTzVV6jbx5dXxY-rA0AueSK3jKxTzKVVpnJ7bxnPefHo3s3bzgBC2lm95MsleamxAOfMeEvKDWD9EiZLprG8S6JfZR_NggHrYvnS46KZ_WtJSYUt1/s400/CIMG1106.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">My little guy turned 5 and graduated from preschool!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eSvovAoozh1zGUKebkkfelAJneTwczUrVveWzJM8rVApl_yvsM8KWWWc1wDRbweXkLIunF03BOazMHR57oXd-9UhQmHosAx3iw7FcitcR4HRQacPHD82XD6oZaA-xrZ399R-EnTlp0Rv/s1600/CIMG1012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eSvovAoozh1zGUKebkkfelAJneTwczUrVveWzJM8rVApl_yvsM8KWWWc1wDRbweXkLIunF03BOazMHR57oXd-9UhQmHosAx3iw7FcitcR4HRQacPHD82XD6oZaA-xrZ399R-EnTlp0Rv/s400/CIMG1012.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj8FVsjZM4OH8gG9aa2XJFvXk42i12YoHo4LMNuombPDkDC-rCoxtFIucIUE7ktyH6QV-VEsGRijkJDrsjZNpUwdXrnp3tT8knHodEkf7Z220p3l5iOoLs8zctEm9ZcHL0Sw7yXu-54dK/s1600/CIMG1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj8FVsjZM4OH8gG9aa2XJFvXk42i12YoHo4LMNuombPDkDC-rCoxtFIucIUE7ktyH6QV-VEsGRijkJDrsjZNpUwdXrnp3tT8knHodEkf7Z220p3l5iOoLs8zctEm9ZcHL0Sw7yXu-54dK/s400/CIMG1007.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">It got warm enough to bust out the "Mr. Mister" (aka the "kid wash")! My husband built this a few years ago from PVC piping and plastic sprinkler heads. It's become a summer staple. The kids can run through it, ride their bikes through it, push toy trucks through it. That picture of my kids looking like they're dead on our driveway is actually them enjoying the warm water--ha!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd0G26YLEKtaDwlGti4RzjEGDXRtNqd5leqNnXpHS3SN1Xeo00vNZyrnzhGCqJMYbdVw0omt1ItTYjSCLjYgWvoxJCfb_pIRi3oAdNUI-ZQ9MgNbXUnXXllvDUHNc7YyVFqSkk4mRc7Er/s1600/CIMG1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRd0G26YLEKtaDwlGti4RzjEGDXRtNqd5leqNnXpHS3SN1Xeo00vNZyrnzhGCqJMYbdVw0omt1ItTYjSCLjYgWvoxJCfb_pIRi3oAdNUI-ZQ9MgNbXUnXXllvDUHNc7YyVFqSkk4mRc7Er/s400/CIMG1018.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtITK0CBBOF5C3WU-zO3tpBGFv0vM99yv3zCj3cXLGiTKqyr3U6u3oaZ9R4H5-tu81Dezh83q9t8nFpIohbEaHPa_9eJh2AXWmdQa3EE9B6cfpEIWYNMNwFchvwfhtszU6PZpuxYboPgoz/s1600/CIMG1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtITK0CBBOF5C3WU-zO3tpBGFv0vM99yv3zCj3cXLGiTKqyr3U6u3oaZ9R4H5-tu81Dezh83q9t8nFpIohbEaHPa_9eJh2AXWmdQa3EE9B6cfpEIWYNMNwFchvwfhtszU6PZpuxYboPgoz/s400/CIMG1030.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">All of the 1st grade classes at my daughter's school put on the cutest Mother's Day concert with a little reception afterwards. It was really fun.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvaObJBjJ_H2B_ZytKE6c0HL3yl1-wTjiOYi-kM4FWp8vS-QsqC1jf6Iz8akE49LNjJovjlept2OZ05bS7O5k_X32LVRZxGCD8Ew5cVbyTH1S9Un4130tF6xWLEF0Mlpj-AjG_d1qiMI2/s1600/CIMG1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvaObJBjJ_H2B_ZytKE6c0HL3yl1-wTjiOYi-kM4FWp8vS-QsqC1jf6Iz8akE49LNjJovjlept2OZ05bS7O5k_X32LVRZxGCD8Ew5cVbyTH1S9Un4130tF6xWLEF0Mlpj-AjG_d1qiMI2/s400/CIMG1073.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">My kids drew scary looking pictures of people picking their nose. Huh?!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2WdALQulu_brAr2W18UiAxVDqV2aIZr6ffaWDDcTl8GqJ8t6tGpVwXKypnLQK872hR7v25rl522QROxPY_yoGxWA3BgOzOGYFS-kOICD8PkXeR_jjYLU5T27niQM59dlMjdMghCdu_j9/s1600/CIMG1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2WdALQulu_brAr2W18UiAxVDqV2aIZr6ffaWDDcTl8GqJ8t6tGpVwXKypnLQK872hR7v25rl522QROxPY_yoGxWA3BgOzOGYFS-kOICD8PkXeR_jjYLU5T27niQM59dlMjdMghCdu_j9/s400/CIMG1093.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">My super-smart, super-creative daughter did a presentation in her gifted class on dinosaurs and prehistoric sea creatures. Here she is standing by the model of an Ammonite she made. Her mind is amazing.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHCaSbWATiK-0j89OJ0g3Aym3_YotugYwmkO8RerFiBWtUeYMm7m51FZcfLUjEP9zL4IZHg9tNoPGr9OLt_lgY_r_TgGSEz6o5_yIpN5eptNSq45OhDJtpibsZt8whunxB-tp8L6VdKyn/s1600/CIMG1136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHCaSbWATiK-0j89OJ0g3Aym3_YotugYwmkO8RerFiBWtUeYMm7m51FZcfLUjEP9zL4IZHg9tNoPGr9OLt_lgY_r_TgGSEz6o5_yIpN5eptNSq45OhDJtpibsZt8whunxB-tp8L6VdKyn/s400/CIMG1136.JPG" t8="true" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last day of 1st grade with her basket of flowers and cards for teachers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJpqKtDadCqd0rNtT8_YQlPcd0FJPk-LkluWEWJiGJ3237EkZQijApUZi2SMawp-WySCjZD7nxVuuUjrUDy0HiYiuP3ulOqxiUxmB4dW6dHr1_pRq1vOi7ZW-xE2ds8m2piegBIeof5Ly/s1600/CIMG1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJpqKtDadCqd0rNtT8_YQlPcd0FJPk-LkluWEWJiGJ3237EkZQijApUZi2SMawp-WySCjZD7nxVuuUjrUDy0HiYiuP3ulOqxiUxmB4dW6dHr1_pRq1vOi7ZW-xE2ds8m2piegBIeof5Ly/s320/CIMG1040.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2W2WL0R4KFNb-SJBn_cViqGlv9vl7IZA5ADoF2KfUxSKda9Z8_9wkY4vRIy4R7_QRw3Shpu3cZoXd4KAuqNWba_tgxUaVOer4Xl1zB7HbnsHXOqXVBBuMdOPTBHXMO9f7TdCg636kCeK/s1600/CIMG1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2W2WL0R4KFNb-SJBn_cViqGlv9vl7IZA5ADoF2KfUxSKda9Z8_9wkY4vRIy4R7_QRw3Shpu3cZoXd4KAuqNWba_tgxUaVOer4Xl1zB7HbnsHXOqXVBBuMdOPTBHXMO9f7TdCg636kCeK/s320/CIMG1042.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9vJ2CxCIMqymV2ASmTT3vZppOH7CWC8ZIPToGftZz2UN5ax40Tq9nqtRBOC5uXszy7Nmyo__i8oQnAn-LS4xZyD41uyG5qXAg4KQrpp328uK3I-hhOJyYwxJLmu_iGveoswIg47r9nzT/s1600/CIMG1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9vJ2CxCIMqymV2ASmTT3vZppOH7CWC8ZIPToGftZz2UN5ax40Tq9nqtRBOC5uXszy7Nmyo__i8oQnAn-LS4xZyD41uyG5qXAg4KQrpp328uK3I-hhOJyYwxJLmu_iGveoswIg47r9nzT/s320/CIMG1064.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tp4rzQbbjCgjgqTgGs_kuQImepcEIh3BhIh0u_J0uovMUyUxW-RNtQ3dDCKXYUGjO50dJxiEkylA4V4VcM8kl9Btt1YqwxkTNcr0seiTQ-tGEbBxqdjGyzHE4OUhnlmRTZX7oCaziZyx/s1600/CIMG1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tp4rzQbbjCgjgqTgGs_kuQImepcEIh3BhIh0u_J0uovMUyUxW-RNtQ3dDCKXYUGjO50dJxiEkylA4V4VcM8kl9Btt1YqwxkTNcr0seiTQ-tGEbBxqdjGyzHE4OUhnlmRTZX7oCaziZyx/s320/CIMG1066.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh yeah, and we ate in May too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My husband and I also celebrated our 12th anniversary. Crap, we're getting old!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, yeah, I'm injured. Maybe some of you will remember a certain week in April when I was really trying to push my speed (I'm quite sure you've all committed this to memory, right?). I did my first sub 25 minute 5k on the treadmill. I thought I was pretty hot s#%t. Unfortunately, what I was doing may not have been what my body was prepared for. Not yet at least. My left leg felt progressively worse after that point. It was ignorable for a while, but continued to plague me. The beginning of my runs usually started with a bit of limping (ridiculous), but usually the pain subsided enough to be tolerable for the remainder of the run. I never iced, never did any stretching other than what was the norm for me, never took any anti-inflamitories, never even bought a foam roller. For a while, I wasn't really sure what was hurting, and sometimes it was both legs. I thought shin splints for a while. Finally, about three weeks ago, the pain had gotten to the point that I was having pain in my left leg when I was just walking and when I would go down the stairs. I was starting to hobble a bit. Not good. This coincided with a pretty busy few weeks in our lives with the end of school etc., so it was a good time to take a break anyway. I took two whole weeks off, and I was feeling pretty well healed up (I will admit that I didn't think I was 100%, but I was 100% antsy to start running again.). So I ran last week on Monday and Wednesday morning, both days a little less than 4 miles. By Thursday morning the pain was back again. Boo!! I finally gave in and made an appointment with an ortho doc. I felt kind of silly really. In my mind, I just keep thinking "I just don't run enough to have actually injured myself. That's for people who are REALLY training hard." But, I guess the point is that I was doing more than what I had worked my body up to. So, while the doctor didn't actually find any evidence of a stress fracture on the x-rays, he said that's likely the problem. He said I could go get an MRI and a bone-scan, but it still might not show the problem and his recommendation would still be the same. He called it an "injury of overuse", and suggested not running for six weeks. SIX FREAKIN WEEKS. And, what's worse, when I do start back up, it's supposed to be so painfully slow that I almost can't imagine it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">**Okay, that's all the whining I'm going to do about this.**</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(tonight)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So here I am, at the beginning of June, during the time of year when I'd be getting up early 3-4 times a week for a glorious early-morning run. Sun rising. Gentle, warm breezes. Before my kiddos wake up. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a serious sense of loss at not being able to experience these runs for 6 weeks. And I'm kind of at a loss as to what I'm going to do instead, because I want to keep as much of my strength and cardio as possible. Swimming and a stationary bike (with NO resistance) are the two things the doc said I could do for cardio. I am, quite possibly, the worlds crappiest swimmer. Like, I still have to hold my nose to go under water. Can't you just see me swimming with one arm, while the other pinches my nose? I'm sure they can make me a diagonal lane since I won't be able to swim in a straight line! Stationary bike = holy boring. Plus, both of these things require me to go to the gym as opposed to just stepping out my front door. But, it is what it is, and I'm going to have to find a way to deal with it and make the best of it. I already posted on facebook that I plan on spending the next 6 weeks getting totally ripped arms and abs. So, now I guess I'd better follow through with that...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wow. So that's what's going on with me, the long version. I have been a totally crappy blogger, but I have been keeping up with other people's blogs. It's been really fun to hear about everyone's races and training. I'm looking forward to being able to share some similar stories...about 6 weeks from now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">I know plenty of you have experienced injuries. What's your best piece of advice for an injury newby?</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-13047779838297745232011-05-04T22:11:00.000-05:002011-05-04T22:11:20.350-05:00Commit.<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Commit (verb): to obligate or pledge oneself.</span></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I've been repeating this word to myself during my runs over the past week.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>Commit</strong>.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>Commit</strong> to the distance.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>Commit</strong> to the speed.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>Commit </strong>to that damn hill that's rising up in front of you.</em> (Geez, could that thing be <em>any </em>steeper?!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Because, when you're out there running (or biking, or swimming, or whatever), there are bound to be moments when you want to stop. For me, there seems to be a lot of those moments. But what's the point of being out there if I'm not going to just <em><strong>commit</strong></em> to it? And, what I'm finding is that if I just decide that I'm committing to the run--the speed, the distance, that freakin' hill--it actually makes it a little easier, because I don't have to listen to that obnoxious internal struggle with myself any more. I've already made the decision. I'm committed. Case closed. So, one way or another, it's gonna happen. Then I'm left to focus on the task at hand.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">*****************************************************</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">In other news, I went to my 'How to Teach Yoga to Kids' workshop on Saturday. I got lots of good information and a great handbook that should be a good resource for next year. It ought to be a real hoot trying to teach yoga to 3, 4 and 5-year-olds! Ha! But, the class served as a great reminder of how much I love yoga. I love feeling limber and strong, and I <strong>love</strong> a good yoga push-up. I remember falling flat on my chest when I first started trying to do "yoga push-ups". Being able to finally do them with strong arms was probably my most proud yoga accomplishment, back when I was doing yoga on a regular basis. Taking this class made me realize how much I miss yoga and want to get back to it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Do you have a word or phrase that you use to get you through tough moments during your workouts (a 'mantra' perhaps?)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;">Most recently, I've been using 'commit' and--don't laugh--'beast'. You know, like, "you're a beast, Lisa!!"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Do you allow yourself to have 'internal struggles' during your workouts, or do you immediately kick those thoughts to the curb?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;">Well, I'm starting to just kick them to the curb. But, I've always been one to allow those thoughts to hang around and waste my time and energy. No longer!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Do you do yoga? What kind?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;">My current yoga habits are very spotty, but I'd like to get back to being more consistent with it. I love to take a good yoga class, but they're EXPENSIVE! I used to do Ashtanga yoga which was <em>really </em>awesome. I'd love to try hot yoga too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">By the way, I haven't given up on taking pictures, but my camera battery is dead and I can't seem to get it together enough to charge the dang thing! Maybe tomorrow...</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-51621033859778509732011-04-27T21:23:00.000-05:002011-04-27T21:23:32.050-05:00Well now, that wasn't so bad.<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It turns out that I actually CAN run a sub 25:00 5K. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(24:48, to be exact)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yup. Who knew?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Got on the treadmill and ran one this afternoon, in fact.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">Honestly, I didn't even want to run today.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>(Molding the minds of seven 3 1/2 year olds for four hours wore me slick.) </em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, by the time I got into my car to leave for the gym I just sat there for a few minutes, trying to convince myself that I should still go. Since I know that I've never regretted a workout, I was able to pull it together and do the right thing. I wasn't going to have a very long time to run, so I figured pushing the speed would help me get in some more miles. It was the perfect opportunity to try to string together those three (very separate) 8:00 miles I'd done on Monday. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And, right here, I want to stop and thank <a href="http://runningsane.blogspot.com/2011/04/talk-to-hand.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jenn at Running Sane</span></a> for</div><div style="text-align: center;">commenting on Monday that she didn't think a 25:00 minute 5K</div><div style="text-align: center;">was out of the realm of possibility for me.</div><div style="text-align: center;">To have someone who is <em><span style="color: #cc0000;">SO FREAKIN' FAST</span></em> say that kind of lit a fire under me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm also starting to realize that a lot of getting "better" (i.e. getting faster and being able to run farther) is</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">being willing to <strong>really</strong> challenge yourself.</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And by "challenging yourself" I mean attempting things that might seem kind of <em>ridiculous</em> to you at first. Because the closer you get to those things, the less ridiculous, and the more realistic they seem. But, you have to be willing to put yourself out there. That's hard for me since I'm not a person who likes to push myself to do things that may be uncomfortable. I am also (*shockingly*) not all that fond of pain!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><strong><em>"I don't think you can become an outstanding runner unless you get a certain amount of </em><em>enjoyment </em><em>out of the suffering. You have to enjoy absorbing it, controlling it and—</em><em>ultimately—overcoming it."</em>—Derek Clayton in The Masters of the Marathon</strong></span></div><br />
I read that quote about a month ago and thought to myself that being an "outstanding" runner just might not be for me! But, I think there can be a healthy mid-point between not pushing your limits at all and "enjoyment of suffering". I don't know that I'll ever really enjoy the suffering, but I hope that I'm able to keep pushing myself beyond where I'm comfortable. Because, really, that's the only way to get better.Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-54468683269984946692011-04-25T22:10:00.000-05:002011-04-25T22:10:43.785-05:00My Weekend in Pictures and Blogger Sighting!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh66rwg1e8TeaJuCGVbrUJMRX3HP2qj6d70h4lvdo5VQCUAuMcSfE0mYLCzxKbi7JDw-S2BOWaDpFVjsanBe-djSS1PSlsDspRNbdGlx3VrPjjvWuFc92tugt0sMzyUr9WRwKSBmrC8pqM/s1600/CIMG0977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh66rwg1e8TeaJuCGVbrUJMRX3HP2qj6d70h4lvdo5VQCUAuMcSfE0mYLCzxKbi7JDw-S2BOWaDpFVjsanBe-djSS1PSlsDspRNbdGlx3VrPjjvWuFc92tugt0sMzyUr9WRwKSBmrC8pqM/s400/CIMG0977.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">So, this is what happens when my son and I play with the magnetic letters on the fridge. We were trying to use as many of the letters as possible, and this is what we came up with. We had a good laugh about it, but sometimes I wonder how my kids will ever have any decorum!!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J6eL4nKAQzjOEhOSWtjrLIBKEI-zEEI59ExNeC7geWBxjmtxiolp5S9RKNyAwmpWxejMqVB39WdMZkcuTtL8IEaeR0wLxozZlIpVbGxiYtSSrtfpc0dUVKArlCtOUxSMg7Ul1sl1ZldQ/s1600/CIMG0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J6eL4nKAQzjOEhOSWtjrLIBKEI-zEEI59ExNeC7geWBxjmtxiolp5S9RKNyAwmpWxejMqVB39WdMZkcuTtL8IEaeR0wLxozZlIpVbGxiYtSSrtfpc0dUVKArlCtOUxSMg7Ul1sl1ZldQ/s400/CIMG0980.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">The kids and I made a trip to Whole Foods on Friday. While we were there I picked up some organic strawberries (pictured on the left). The next day I bought some more strawberries (pictured on the right) at the grocery store, non-organic this time. I had to laugh at the startling difference between the two. Good grief, are the strawberries on the right what we've come to expect?!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfXOIjaQZY1qw0VOKv6pTPDTxcbzAL3uKI8LWMvx1w9wxF5ru2JcgnJo632uIIkVP6lcLzmsuoXfqA9KX2wz3fkwi98Yr_PjCx8pvoY1HqnQFDIaEycaWWo68fIhKIAJalkyFc5NPOlCT/s1600/CIMG0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfXOIjaQZY1qw0VOKv6pTPDTxcbzAL3uKI8LWMvx1w9wxF5ru2JcgnJo632uIIkVP6lcLzmsuoXfqA9KX2wz3fkwi98Yr_PjCx8pvoY1HqnQFDIaEycaWWo68fIhKIAJalkyFc5NPOlCT/s400/CIMG0979.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">After a week of making some very so-so meals (think boxed mac-n-cheese or scrambled eggs for dinner), Saturday night I made grilled asian-marinated salmon, sauteed spinach with tomatoes and onions and toasted pine nut couscous. It was pretty darn yummy, if I do say so myself.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiCf6woPPk3pxSsQeloq_J6W358umogi9ZmcY7WesMnDVLH1XLPcHkx10u9oD1kldxYMZ4M9F8uqwWxz4sqZWy1VHLkkRyI0cCj8uOp9HdZUttU333G_6EkljLB0yHQwLpKb1ihLz5Ffi/s1600/CIMG0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiCf6woPPk3pxSsQeloq_J6W358umogi9ZmcY7WesMnDVLH1XLPcHkx10u9oD1kldxYMZ4M9F8uqwWxz4sqZWy1VHLkkRyI0cCj8uOp9HdZUttU333G_6EkljLB0yHQwLpKb1ihLz5Ffi/s400/CIMG0984.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">The kids set out their baskets for the Easter bunny, and they thought Jeremy and I should have ours out too. You know, because we need the candy.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuOr5L7zxOkwJyh54QgF6fuaZHg2ZmfbNLoCdXwsh1Sq-12J1X63mC1s_mzo2-STiOG_VY6VDtgT7PP1cuBuNxeaSM9aF2lXlxvUp6i79XNDOr2lxFSJ86b5m0BFulmvUxXv_9ucldOfg/s1600/CIMG0981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuOr5L7zxOkwJyh54QgF6fuaZHg2ZmfbNLoCdXwsh1Sq-12J1X63mC1s_mzo2-STiOG_VY6VDtgT7PP1cuBuNxeaSM9aF2lXlxvUp6i79XNDOr2lxFSJ86b5m0BFulmvUxXv_9ucldOfg/s400/CIMG0981.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My son spent a good portion of Saturday evening looking out the window for the Easter bunny...I thought it was pretty sweet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkj2FFlVtFvHwwwgtP4hjK5616uEX2hhLOpI9p2UUoPm6GjMHoEX6pdoVSEeBaGCJXMHm6lFrB8IWEOJCmq9MjhQ4yeg4fyJqlClx5a_bHwpCvvjVbzKBmzGyJAyMsRt3_iGl_FS7iuBZ/s1600/CIMG0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkj2FFlVtFvHwwwgtP4hjK5616uEX2hhLOpI9p2UUoPm6GjMHoEX6pdoVSEeBaGCJXMHm6lFrB8IWEOJCmq9MjhQ4yeg4fyJqlClx5a_bHwpCvvjVbzKBmzGyJAyMsRt3_iGl_FS7iuBZ/s400/CIMG0982.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My daughter thought she should lay out a "cot" for the Easter bunny. She figured he/she must get pretty tired hopping all over the world all night long, and might want to take a rest. Our dog, Penny, thought it was pretty comfy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoUFopA8yDIoyp9Uus2TVumAQsWeSS9WQF4jkLgOFrixlw-_rKlDAYFkogVAW_LOA3g2oe8kgNlHCacaPN9h22DxN2gSUcL30chp2MSo2ym16WlgG4l1VR_zv1q6KNA7f7srT-WVocHMb/s1600/CIMG0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoUFopA8yDIoyp9Uus2TVumAQsWeSS9WQF4jkLgOFrixlw-_rKlDAYFkogVAW_LOA3g2oe8kgNlHCacaPN9h22DxN2gSUcL30chp2MSo2ym16WlgG4l1VR_zv1q6KNA7f7srT-WVocHMb/s400/CIMG0983.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After I took a picture of my son looking out the window, my daughter wanted to make sure I took a picture of her too. What a ham.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ojMVPFXRkuLfZLI3NcwsXTms7G-KRaI-pTNw_nhrrmZoo2-pE9Px-C7iv2SkLn_ZPhckLqZtYw1WcsbNTbitoO7IniFpIJU08gDFeE_aLx3Y_jRfFwTdMX26MMRen-NESMKtN68Bs0ic/s1600/CIMG0986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ojMVPFXRkuLfZLI3NcwsXTms7G-KRaI-pTNw_nhrrmZoo2-pE9Px-C7iv2SkLn_ZPhckLqZtYw1WcsbNTbitoO7IniFpIJU08gDFeE_aLx3Y_jRfFwTdMX26MMRen-NESMKtN68Bs0ic/s400/CIMG0986.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Saturday night, my husband turned our kitchen into a brewery. I think he was in heaven. I, on the other hand, thought it made the house very, very, VERY stinky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNPKHzy1K-WKALlQqrqgVM8WZTVouaZr3S7-Kb4Lf1OPWaI-6qcOdrBEN1pAeG6SEovptoIMBvYY1erDMYBLWNhMA8FvjptCQydTbFg73BZAjfp2fYLXlMJESV58r94O6T2eozY5tncgm/s1600/CIMG0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNPKHzy1K-WKALlQqrqgVM8WZTVouaZr3S7-Kb4Lf1OPWaI-6qcOdrBEN1pAeG6SEovptoIMBvYY1erDMYBLWNhMA8FvjptCQydTbFg73BZAjfp2fYLXlMJESV58r94O6T2eozY5tncgm/s400/CIMG0988.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All that brewing stuff takes up a lot of space.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoDbGG5cMfVKXMxMV4d_3c24iXKwWf2OcJYdKEsOoOcom2KK2J3xbFp40UoDRdi5ctfF7CIH01W5jWSWoRDrbEWMpYvhTotVMPUXbgpDVCLiG222-MFH2Gz_bQpYwNoRspR5r-f2k0lJF/s1600/CIMG0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoDbGG5cMfVKXMxMV4d_3c24iXKwWf2OcJYdKEsOoOcom2KK2J3xbFp40UoDRdi5ctfF7CIH01W5jWSWoRDrbEWMpYvhTotVMPUXbgpDVCLiG222-MFH2Gz_bQpYwNoRspR5r-f2k0lJF/s400/CIMG0991.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hmmmm. Looks...yummy?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrYAV6h124Ip8zNGo7zqWNaK-HQYaFKfyW1nkBDH-BZ1v-0pLbOYTvEKK7yRPjszCSh4XAT5PytosQXLVYluEL4c8CCPxf__27kQuPVHg6ayS_BdAVyR56N3unppm8Q41MnI6VqPhs9uX/s1600/CIMG1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrYAV6h124Ip8zNGo7zqWNaK-HQYaFKfyW1nkBDH-BZ1v-0pLbOYTvEKK7yRPjszCSh4XAT5PytosQXLVYluEL4c8CCPxf__27kQuPVHg6ayS_BdAVyR56N3unppm8Q41MnI6VqPhs9uX/s400/CIMG1001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Somehow, I neglected to take any pictures on Easter. I did, however, let my son snap a few shots. I guess this is what happens when you let your almost-five-year-old son use the camera.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52Pf71fPx3X-la58I2OnD52aP7VT_om0y8u-8YonP_48FpNz7B0Dfeury54v7B8aY_Pw3V2ARpk2YQG5cGRXkHWmY3wnxtQbyPMY2trIi1qCMvCA2KQ90SqYxyIMz7_Lnf5I2fsY6_3-v/s1600/CIMG1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52Pf71fPx3X-la58I2OnD52aP7VT_om0y8u-8YonP_48FpNz7B0Dfeury54v7B8aY_Pw3V2ARpk2YQG5cGRXkHWmY3wnxtQbyPMY2trIi1qCMvCA2KQ90SqYxyIMz7_Lnf5I2fsY6_3-v/s400/CIMG1004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While I didn't take any pictures of our Easter meal, here's the leftover roasted asparagus (and some leftover salmon) that I put on my salad for lunch today. It was gooood.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">****************************************************************************</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday morning's run was so awesome! My friend Karen and I ran 7 miles, and we both felt really good. It was cloudy and cool, and not too windy for once--perfect running weather. Her Garmin said we'd gone as fast as 6:28 during the run (probably on a downhill and for like 15 seconds, but still!), and our last half mile was at a 6:58 pace. WHAT?! That's definitely the fastest I've ever run, and it was even at a slight incline. Pretty excited about that. We also got passed by a local cycling club during our run. I wish I'd had my camera with me because near the back of the pack of cyclists were three guys on roller blades! That's a new one...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">****************************************************************************</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BLOGGER SIGHTING!! BLOGGER SIGHTING!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I think I've mentioned that Jim from <a href="http://50after40.blogspot.com/p/training.html">50...after 40</a> and Michael from <a href="http://slowlytri-ing.blogspot.com/">Slowly Tri-ing</a> live in the same town as I do. A while back I realized that Jim and I also go to the same gym, and I wondered if we'd ever actually run into each other. I go to the gym at pretty odd times, so I wasn't sure if our paths would ever cross. But, he said if I ever saw him to rip out his earbuds and say hello. Well, I didn't exactly rip his earbuds out, but I did say hello when I realized who he was today. It was great to be able to congratulate him in person on his awesome Boston Marathon finish (PR!), and we got to talk for a few minutes about some local races. He gave me some good advice on the Hospital Hill (10K) race that's coming up in June--I appreciated that. And, I was able to send my good wishes to Michael who's running a half in Oklahoma this weekend. So cool!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, it was fun to meet Jim, but here are a couple reasons why Jim might think I'm a dork now:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. When discussing how he and his daughter had done the Groundhog Run (a KC race run in underground tunnels) last year, I asked "so, when is the Groundhog Run?" He very patiently and politely said "Groundhog Day". Hmmm, yes, that would explain calling it the Groundhog Run...good grief.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. It's possible that I may have had a booger hanging out of my nose while we were talking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. There was something else dorky that I did or said, that my brain is now blocking out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, it was good to meet you, Jim!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">****************************************************************************</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today's run was on the treadmill. It's actually been a while since I've run on the treadmill. It was a good opportunity for me to work a bit on speed. I was able to do three separate 8 minute miles. PHEW. It was pretty tough, and I was sweating to beat the band. (Did I mention that I looked like a drowned rat when I ran into Jim? I don't even want to THINK about how I smelled.) And, while I was able to run the three 8 minute miles, I did take some short walk breaks in between. I'd love to get to where I could string these together and run a 5K in under 25:00.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">****************************************************************************</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, it's time to pack the lunches! Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!</div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-252528250991647612011-04-21T22:36:00.001-05:002011-04-21T22:41:58.729-05:00Where I'm at these days...See, the problem with going so long between posts is that everything I've wanted to write about becomes a big jumbled mess in my head. Then I get overwhelmed and just scrap it. Then I go even longer between posts...and, well, you can see where this is going. When I'm feeling overwhelmed by things in my day-to-day life I usually end up putting everything down on a list. Seeing everything in a numbered or bulleted list makes it all seem so much more managable, and gives my brain a chance to release everything it's been trying to hold on to. So, I'm just going to throw everything out there in bullets tonight!<br />
<ul><li>Floating Away: Since watching 'Food Matters' I've really been trying to drink A LOT more water. I'm terrible about drinking enough water as it is, so this is kind of a challenge for me. This guy on the documentary talked about how important it is to make water the FIRST THING you put into your body every day--before coffee, before OJ, before tea, and definitely before any food. He talked about how, even if you're eating really healthy, nutritious food, your body can't absorb those nutrients if you haven't prepared the way by flushing out any toxins that were in your digestive system. He also discussed the importance of flushing the colon...but, I don't think I'm quite ready for that.</li>
</ul>Speaking of flushing the colon, I swiped this photo from <a href="http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2011/04/2011-boston-race-reportpart-2.html">SUAR's blog</a>. I've heard of people doing this during races, but kind of thought it was more urban legend than anything. Um, yeah, guess not. EWWWW!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QF0M_3a5udF-HEh-c8q8_lvidRiQMfhMlUAyEU7uoYBCUYzfZrPJkTJVWZP-w7v64K8nv15Y4F5cqGzBu2mQop_-nVbqeDGLUxf0d8FXdD7Sqx8w1djk_BVgS6j0FiOEhNFUmVZ-nk-A/s1600/pooppicture_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QF0M_3a5udF-HEh-c8q8_lvidRiQMfhMlUAyEU7uoYBCUYzfZrPJkTJVWZP-w7v64K8nv15Y4F5cqGzBu2mQop_-nVbqeDGLUxf0d8FXdD7Sqx8w1djk_BVgS6j0FiOEhNFUmVZ-nk-A/s400/pooppicture_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li>Speaking of <a href="http://suar's%20blog/">SUAR's blog</a>, I have SO loved reading all of the Boston Marathon race reports. It's kind of funny because running a marathon, let alone the Boston Marathon, has always been really far off my radar. It's been one of those things that I've always catagorized as plain ol' crazy, in the same way that I think jumping out of a plane or eating chocolate covered bugs is crazy. But, as I've gotten farther into reading some of these amazing running blogs, and after reading some of the incredible recaps of the Boston Marathon, it seems a lot less crazy and a whole lot more awesome than it ever did before. I'm not saying I'm going to do it myself. But, I'm not saying I'm not either...</li>
<li>That being said, I haven't done much in the way of racing, well, ever really. There's two races coming up this year in Kansas City that I'm interested in doing. June 4th (I think) is the very well-known (locally, at least) Hospital Hill Race. They have a 5K, 10K and a half. I'm thinking about doing the 10K. It's a distance that I know I could do even at my current fitness/training level, so I could actually work on a time goal. Then, on October 15th is the KC Marathon/Half. This would be a great time of the year for a half. I'd have plenty of time to train and work to get a finish time under 2 hours. There! That feels good to get some goals down in black and white.</li>
<li>So, FOOD. Watching 'Food Matters' has also got me thinking about my newest kitchen appliance obsession: a VitaMix blender. Hmmm. If only they didn't cost $500!! Do you like the blurry picture I've provided you with? Figured you would.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1NFpmJplJMf4Pi04fUruOFSUEo84TcfoWwE5IkXh9ped9S0mkPbW2vmX8aRZGop8GJREq1YSes8myUbCTxXZxAZBdKcCVi4tTJ3DbHI-CV_ewlYDizUmxiMv-nKFxtBjfsByaIEuwYpB/s1600/vitamixblender.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1NFpmJplJMf4Pi04fUruOFSUEo84TcfoWwE5IkXh9ped9S0mkPbW2vmX8aRZGop8GJREq1YSes8myUbCTxXZxAZBdKcCVi4tTJ3DbHI-CV_ewlYDizUmxiMv-nKFxtBjfsByaIEuwYpB/s200/vitamixblender.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday's run: I found a new outdoor, paved loop. I did 6.5 windy, hilly miles and my hip flexors are feelin' it today. Part of the loop was a little secluded for my comfort level, so I probably won't do that one again by myself. I found myself looking over my shoulder a lot.</div></li>
</ul><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Last Friday I went to the gym with the intention of running on the treadmill, but when I got there I just couldn't face getting on that thing. So, I hemmed and hawed about what to do. The spin class was just about to start and there was a bike free, so I coaxed myself into walking through the door and getting on the bike. It was such a last minute decision that I forgot to bring my sweat towel in with me. Thank goodness I had my water bottle with me. It was a KILLER class. Pretty sure the class ended about 3 minutes before I would've puked. That class kind of makes me want to cry. Strangely, I haven't been sore afterwards the two times I've taken it.</div></li>
</ul><ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I've felt like I've been operating in a sort of 'fog' this week. You know, where you feel like you just can't quite clear your head or focus fully on anything or be truly present in any moment. It's been driving me crazy!! This evening, we ordered Chinese take-out (since there was pretty much nothing to make for dinner in our house). After we ate, an impromptu game of what we termed "Chinese Tabletop Football" broke out after we'd opened our fortune cookies. My daughter folded her fortune into a tiny triangle and started flicking it between the two take-out boxes. My son followed suit. Chinese Tabletop Football; it was a nice moment of clarity for me. See? Right through the take-out box uprights.</div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcptz1OihB1dMzpwGip2RdVFiYnKTGhU9hskRhV9pQKiBaZS9bTKgOC30H4KhJKRBPk5dU7bbefw-Hv-OIO_HOnzTBLJlUlKjamPv_RNYF_LHR8TO42U0DFJ7MRtwUJQSadgx1tVN6SD6r/s1600/CIMG0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcptz1OihB1dMzpwGip2RdVFiYnKTGhU9hskRhV9pQKiBaZS9bTKgOC30H4KhJKRBPk5dU7bbefw-Hv-OIO_HOnzTBLJlUlKjamPv_RNYF_LHR8TO42U0DFJ7MRtwUJQSadgx1tVN6SD6r/s400/CIMG0973.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">And, with my daughter's hand in your face, I'll end this random bulleted post. Phew! It felt good to get some of that out of my head.</div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-14706006987238823082011-04-14T22:11:00.000-05:002011-04-14T22:11:20.537-05:00Falling Off The Map.Yeah, I know. Where the heck did I go?! I've been a little more than absent in the blog department. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to think that people were out there just chomping at the bit waiting to read my every word. But, I'm sure you missed me just the same, right? Anyway, here I go jumping back into the world of blogging:<br />
<br />
<i>***Hi! I'd like to take this opportunity to (re)introduce myself. My name is Lisa and I like to blog about my life; mostly the parts where I'm either eating, running or finding spiritual fulfillment. Although, you'd hardly know it with my lack of blogging as of late, huh? I just had to let the blogging go for a little while. I'm sure you all understand. Anyway, it's been almost TWO WEEKS since my last post--you know, the one where I left you with a picture of my big cheesy grin. So, I guess it's time to do some catching up...***</i><br />
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On Sunday, April 3rd, I ran the first leg of the Brew to Brew Relay; a 44-mile race from Boulevard Brewery (yum) in Kansas City, KS to Freestate Brewery (yum) in Lawrence, KS. I was part of a team of 10 runners. There are people who run this race by themselves (yikes) but it's broken up into 10 legs so that you can have a team of up to 10 people. So, the distance was not a big deal for me; my leg of the race was just under 4 miles. But, the conditions were, well...interesting! As I was not in a "blogging state of mind" that day, I took NO pictures. NOT ONE! (BAD blogger.) Which is too bad, because there were some pretty good costumes since they give awards for teams with the best spirit, best team name, as well as the team who comes in "dead last". I was on a team with a friend of mine from the neigborhood, her husband, and a bunch of her co-workers. Other than my friend and her husband, I had never met any of these people before the morning of the race. This was clearly a "party" race. I mean, it's from one brewery to another, so... My friend and her husband picked me up at about 6:45; our team start time was 8:30. We all got down to Boulevard Brewery at about 7:20. There was already PLENTY of drinking going on. I didn't figure having a beer would be a good idea for me, seeing that I'm a total lightweight anyway. A beer at 7:30am and then running 4 miles...probably wouldn't have gone very well. Besides, I spent most of my pre-race time waiting in line to use the MOST disgusting porta-potty EVER. I'll spare you the details of that...but, lets just say that I'm pretty sure I was, like, the 734th person to use it that morning. Gross. But, after I made it through that I had a little time to hang out before my start. At about 8:24, the "first leggers" headed across the street to the very unofficial start line. As we stood there waiting for the stroke of 8:30, I asked the woman next to me what she paced at, since she was wearing a Garmin. Since I don't have one and wasn't running with my friend Karen, who has one, I was going to be completely clueless as to my pace. She said she ran a 10:00 pace. Rats. Well, I knew I needed to make sure she didn't pass me, but that was about it. The clock struck 8:30 and we were off, in very unceremonious fashion, with all the other beer-drinking-later-leg-runners cheering us on from across the street at the beer tent. Ha! I'm not so sure that many of them were too concerned with actually seeing us off! We started out and made an immediate turn onto a pretty industrial road and headed up a hill to cross a bridge over the Kaw River. Not a particularly scenic river. Kind of brown and stinky, actually. Oh, and the winds were UNBELIEVABLE!! Ugh. On the other side of the bridge was a big staircase we had to go down so that we could get up on the river levee to run the rest of our leg. At the bottom of the stairs was an old scrap of carpet covering up a muddy section of the ground. (I had to sort of laugh at this point.) Then there was a rickety metal step-stool for us to get up on the levee. Hilarious. Then we were up on the levee--basically a gravel road elevated from, but running parallell to the river. The wind.was.crazy. Not only was it blowing about 40 right in our faces, making it pretty difficult to muster any forward motion, but the dust and dirt were sandblasting us pretty good. I figured my pace had to be at about 10:00 at that point, if not slower. But, 10:00 Lady was still behind me, somewhere. Probably running at about an 11:00 pace, is my guess. At one point, we were directed to run down a rock embankment to pass under a road and then back up again to get back onto the levee. I actually ran past it at first thinking, "this can't possibly be what they want us to do". But, sure enough, that's what they wanted us to do. It's beyond me how someone didn't twist an ankle on that. After that craziness, I was almost home free. All of a sudden I saw a large crowd of people up ahead on the levee. Then I was able to spot my friend's husband, our second leg runner. I pushed it into the finish and gave him a high-five so he could get started on his run. My friend and I got into her car to head to the next transition point, where she would be running the third leg. Once we got there, my husband and two kids met up with me so that we could head out. Even though I never actually made it to the other brewery, it was fun to be there for part of the race. I realized that I have no idea how hard to push myself in a race situation. I found myself being worried during the run that I was going to sputter out at the end, but I think I could've pushed harder from the start. Since it was a very non-traditional race (no chip times or anything), I only had my stop-watch to rely on for my time. And, of course, I forgot to stop it at the end, so I have no idea how long it took me! Oh well. No biggie. After I met up with my family, we went to Starbucks and then on to a doughnut place we've been wanting to try for a while. It's always good to replenish the calories you've just burned...and then some.<br />
<br />
That night we got a rediculous hail storm, that both of my kids slept through (I don't know how, since it sounded like people were throwing baseballs at our house in rapid-fire succession). Here's what it looked like out our front door as it was going on...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxU5NlBNCqujAF2ATlWY8vsH0-D_VmrCOLbnVctNyJeXUb7xuwUCynhemge17QcKlxi-o4zGE4ApDCJTX7d7OODELH8Gqtk8hwvTSuYGrMhpLNRRxPwtRFmZ962jSq9ZaT9vwHNjfhOPL/s1600/CIMG0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxU5NlBNCqujAF2ATlWY8vsH0-D_VmrCOLbnVctNyJeXUb7xuwUCynhemge17QcKlxi-o4zGE4ApDCJTX7d7OODELH8Gqtk8hwvTSuYGrMhpLNRRxPwtRFmZ962jSq9ZaT9vwHNjfhOPL/s400/CIMG0918.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was just the small stuff. It was kind of crazy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The next day, I got back on the treadmill and played around with speed a little bit. Ran a 7:00 pace...for 1 minute, just to see what it felt like. Um, yeah, it's really fast. But, I'm getting better at increasing my cadence vs. trying to increase my stride when I'm going faster. I feel like the shorter, quicker steps look funny sometimes, but it does keep me from heel-striking.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">That Wednesday, the weather was beautiful, so I was able to run outside on the trail at a local park. It's pretty darn hilly, so I got a great hill workout.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdLBz8-zdvNLubmpBhGifWD-LEmLGLq0n540OaAfLx_yLWN3lqeSqAziOk4Q0nQkzB2SC4xnLMdBvE7Y8yZFg-AL-0PVnJhQT8OVLY3vT-pJ2nghijFLxlzwEffFhYW12_LnnW5C2LyYk/s1600/CIMG0922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdLBz8-zdvNLubmpBhGifWD-LEmLGLq0n540OaAfLx_yLWN3lqeSqAziOk4Q0nQkzB2SC4xnLMdBvE7Y8yZFg-AL-0PVnJhQT8OVLY3vT-pJ2nghijFLxlzwEffFhYW12_LnnW5C2LyYk/s400/CIMG0922.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This (above) is the part of the trail when I have to start pumping myself up for this (below):</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3PErfWjqJVr63G9YZVDmaqhM0E5ZtwLX_RG80P4ChP9TUATpANAgklVw3QtYd185p0Gx2X7rHCI4tnFybfAUVSp7DWk82Et6EftM0SVVDer7hmTFE0DDGtJjzmWbu3tgirPTQO32dCBO/s1600/CIMG0924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3PErfWjqJVr63G9YZVDmaqhM0E5ZtwLX_RG80P4ChP9TUATpANAgklVw3QtYd185p0Gx2X7rHCI4tnFybfAUVSp7DWk82Et6EftM0SVVDer7hmTFE0DDGtJjzmWbu3tgirPTQO32dCBO/s400/CIMG0924.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The LONG climb up to the top.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I did the loop around the park 6 times, not knowing how long the loop was exactly. Then, this past Saturday morning my friend Karen and I did a nice 6 miler (it was beatiful out) that included running the same loop around the park once. She "Garmined" it and it's .91 miles around, so Wednesdays run ended up being 5.46 miles.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This week's running has been pretty weak. Monday's run didn't happen because of staying later than usual at work, and Wednesday I went back to the same park again and took a different route out of the park to try something different. About 20 minutes into my run a sweet little dog ran across 4 lanes of traffic over to my side of the road. She was super cute and had all her tags. I was pretty sure she was just from the neighborhood across the street, but there was no address on any of her tags. So, I picked her up and walked back to the park where my car was parked so I could use my cell phone to try the number on her tag. No answer. Dangit. Called the vet office that was listed on her rabies tag. They gave me an alternate number to try. No answer. DANGIT. Called the vet office again and they said they could hold her until the owners could pick her up. Unfortunately, the vet office was probably 15 minutes away (and taking her there meant I would NOT be completing my run). But, what could I do? When I was about 3 minutes away from the vets office, guess who called? Yup, the owner. So I turned around and took little Scarlet home. Did I mention I'd poured water into one of my son's carseat cup holders so she could have a drink? What a mess. Well, I'm planning on running tomorrow morning...assuming I don't run into any more stray dogs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On Tuesday we had really incredible weather, so I decided to make use of our new zoo membership and take my little guy to the zoo. We had so much fun!! And, there was hardly anyone else there. It was probably the best zoo trip I've ever had.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6fpmwzXXf2iOSGJgQt0ToHOsqWOv0AJfrDLzH3f8aCcDWs8lbfPyLUJWkIO4IN9wwF95fRzUDYw7G8Rdq-iQYBqGmXbR6waEeyb_DTvPQj_sGYosPLZo4kvtyQtmy22q7FoTtSR5Kats/s1600/CIMG0954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6fpmwzXXf2iOSGJgQt0ToHOsqWOv0AJfrDLzH3f8aCcDWs8lbfPyLUJWkIO4IN9wwF95fRzUDYw7G8Rdq-iQYBqGmXbR6waEeyb_DTvPQj_sGYosPLZo4kvtyQtmy22q7FoTtSR5Kats/s400/CIMG0954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It's not very often that Weston and I get to really <em>do </em>something fun together by ourselves (errands just don't count). It was the perfect mommy-son day. ( Please ignore the evil squint I've got going on.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHDjbyUCzGyJqYe78AdIjkTajCNVANTuVl_-BhOn12KHHIF8zF2LT3x88SXoO7JAGzFEZ8vRKJManHFnA1H-Hr2a9Vn66haR2Le0XUxHta6wTo0r1p3ej_4B6G5XBV_wmNrfg9a3FLDQ8/s1600/CIMG0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHDjbyUCzGyJqYe78AdIjkTajCNVANTuVl_-BhOn12KHHIF8zF2LT3x88SXoO7JAGzFEZ8vRKJManHFnA1H-Hr2a9Vn66haR2Le0XUxHta6wTo0r1p3ej_4B6G5XBV_wmNrfg9a3FLDQ8/s640/CIMG0953.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Weston, being pretty excited to sit on the stone hippo. We did actually see the real ones after this.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_EHxmg96Ug8d5xXAYmSpD1TFNraJjIdeJOJDTySg9TkOFwaSb92fjmP4Yudok5EZTlXWIMcTJQ3_SxHn4oAbMKv-8xJU5PAYQ_L2pgl-rywyiNZ38ScxA7c5j2E1dyT6LX18CRkVf9ES/s1600/CIMG0957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_EHxmg96Ug8d5xXAYmSpD1TFNraJjIdeJOJDTySg9TkOFwaSb92fjmP4Yudok5EZTlXWIMcTJQ3_SxHn4oAbMKv-8xJU5PAYQ_L2pgl-rywyiNZ38ScxA7c5j2E1dyT6LX18CRkVf9ES/s400/CIMG0957.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A Ring-tailed Lemur-ball!! I'm not sure how many of them were in there!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqWXVQIGP7KtJImvArwkn9eNLsBAYL5JZIlxVm5a1Ex1neu8MpwieI1VJpC1ZWwMzOqlpdG1TTijOjQeOF5RAQaqwfRRUsD-yUvfxM3obK1LeNOg8xIGWErsddZEAb9yMWfbh6y8drKej/s1600/CIMG0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqWXVQIGP7KtJImvArwkn9eNLsBAYL5JZIlxVm5a1Ex1neu8MpwieI1VJpC1ZWwMzOqlpdG1TTijOjQeOF5RAQaqwfRRUsD-yUvfxM3obK1LeNOg8xIGWErsddZEAb9yMWfbh6y8drKej/s640/CIMG0963.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Weston under the polar bear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-yD_s0UC9nQmiz4b2R2cEj3PTQN0dm2SKBX2Zkj8nAubhEgafEdm-aD7VktPGgXMf9jOZG0ISElox3oqLNaKcgFaOsCEEuHGrzYVrD88gFVanJvdhdYVgBEhCV4c_GMakDB-0f1o51Ow/s1600/CIMG0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-yD_s0UC9nQmiz4b2R2cEj3PTQN0dm2SKBX2Zkj8nAubhEgafEdm-aD7VktPGgXMf9jOZG0ISElox3oqLNaKcgFaOsCEEuHGrzYVrD88gFVanJvdhdYVgBEhCV4c_GMakDB-0f1o51Ow/s640/CIMG0962.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's the polar bear now! Poor guy...he's all alone in there. Kind of makes me sad. It was so cool to see him so close up though.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, so you figure there's been a lot of eating going on in two-week's time. So I'm just gonna hit ya with a food photo montage now.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHBeaDElfMUtlJSHYC7y4ZZ9gGldikJXFXf3RyIUaAn6psORkd51BuYJ-BYCU9P3P05uBFK4P8Qg3EaZXk33r-EjBvpsBnM5ZuKkAmsBbo22__4VxVPYTbJ3TdF_ATFKP7CQLy1gYYaP_/s1600/CIMG0941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHBeaDElfMUtlJSHYC7y4ZZ9gGldikJXFXf3RyIUaAn6psORkd51BuYJ-BYCU9P3P05uBFK4P8Qg3EaZXk33r-EjBvpsBnM5ZuKkAmsBbo22__4VxVPYTbJ3TdF_ATFKP7CQLy1gYYaP_/s400/CIMG0941.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm pretty big on not wasting any of the food in our house so, often, that means I've got to come up with something "creative" to use things instead of throwing them out. This was my "greek garbanzo and veggie salad" made with leftover black olives and avocado from tacos the night before, grape tomoatoes, cucumber, canned garbanzo beans, and homemade greek dressing. The only thing missing was feta cheese. It was still good and the kids ate it. Score!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvkc4jYbUoqSXo8ip3AwoyxW_v7_9GpQVBoJ_Op9_hcrJwt_ww4SWf077htC4HX7rUwwFnKx9kOMpxGxu85KSzoOh-5-VLDwkHEJeJ2a98OwRgmf2s_I-TSPaS_2ZQ0wfDPiOI-_ekbnd/s1600/CIMG0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvkc4jYbUoqSXo8ip3AwoyxW_v7_9GpQVBoJ_Op9_hcrJwt_ww4SWf077htC4HX7rUwwFnKx9kOMpxGxu85KSzoOh-5-VLDwkHEJeJ2a98OwRgmf2s_I-TSPaS_2ZQ0wfDPiOI-_ekbnd/s400/CIMG0927.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Homemade pizza night.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AuIHn1v9zGQtSSTuDtmtGCf6gPeP8r3pJo9akJO3BK1421BhPpgoTGqQBrF6zgOmMFwtmabkUTlcQSDCDBqQsmMZFMHZ2QM2We2MyUE_aYd0Emg0eHqcxfG1D1u4HCQB8g5E_rW8oPH3/s1600/CIMG0932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AuIHn1v9zGQtSSTuDtmtGCf6gPeP8r3pJo9akJO3BK1421BhPpgoTGqQBrF6zgOmMFwtmabkUTlcQSDCDBqQsmMZFMHZ2QM2We2MyUE_aYd0Emg0eHqcxfG1D1u4HCQB8g5E_rW8oPH3/s400/CIMG0932.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Homemade pizza sauce. So much better than the stuff from a can or a jar.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmqnpj112QQk-3GBIQB9mRfwriPFzlm6P9HOT_UjNiLYXLFula6gHPABZxLd111gHil6pHjISIBOAqHu8oVghm-C5SHLPw4XZJK-KrZiCxvrvmEMljuuWk1QBVUK64WpYe84ViWiT73NH/s1600/CIMG0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmqnpj112QQk-3GBIQB9mRfwriPFzlm6P9HOT_UjNiLYXLFula6gHPABZxLd111gHil6pHjISIBOAqHu8oVghm-C5SHLPw4XZJK-KrZiCxvrvmEMljuuWk1QBVUK64WpYe84ViWiT73NH/s400/CIMG0936.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our family pizza before going in the oven.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCd5CWAQNW780qOcWHwQz_lMP2XcMRjT7KRtJUz-rwrt-YY9tqnIWLT8oxbUY35YdinRA74TDP2XD-SF_YAFCQKfguzJWUPhKcDMNlJOMheZmXcgqiDBLyY7yBtWuwLsIzITbti9EOdh_/s1600/CIMG0938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCd5CWAQNW780qOcWHwQz_lMP2XcMRjT7KRtJUz-rwrt-YY9tqnIWLT8oxbUY35YdinRA74TDP2XD-SF_YAFCQKfguzJWUPhKcDMNlJOMheZmXcgqiDBLyY7yBtWuwLsIzITbti9EOdh_/s400/CIMG0938.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Family pizza, out of the oven, sliced and ready to eat. The homemade crust was...meh. But, it was still fun to eat and the kids thought it was great. My friend Kila perfects homemade pizza! I gotta get her recipe...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3sx4JxKdTsAjVSfgVZ0ftx6R_HbeSfylcWF_ZMvl0AbHfTXK6pg4L_QrkocSBbXk4EiFIfjouYoKi4kmGTHXGTTbxBgvRHdnzXHYTO3YI4CCu_LL_0TUIJBcVNiUyf5-ZTOHCUIK0ayu/s1600/CIMG0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3sx4JxKdTsAjVSfgVZ0ftx6R_HbeSfylcWF_ZMvl0AbHfTXK6pg4L_QrkocSBbXk4EiFIfjouYoKi4kmGTHXGTTbxBgvRHdnzXHYTO3YI4CCu_LL_0TUIJBcVNiUyf5-ZTOHCUIK0ayu/s400/CIMG0887.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oven-roasted asparagus. Just a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Yum. I think I ate almost the whole pound of asparagus by myself in one sitting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I've been starting to do some reading on kids yoga to help prepare me for next year! My 'Teaching Yoga to Kids' training workshop is in a few short weeks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWINoR3rZW6JkfG8pZDJ2m6EPiwO7tj84gir9cg1eJkZRCXjfblRjItBjciGXTAojjq4qtd2mCqriY01asu0xvVRhOUPNLjOkbn0EZEuywraAbLzhhLgxj_ehZ-K84YOn1uncIhUCYzu_H/s1600/CIMG0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWINoR3rZW6JkfG8pZDJ2m6EPiwO7tj84gir9cg1eJkZRCXjfblRjItBjciGXTAojjq4qtd2mCqriY01asu0xvVRhOUPNLjOkbn0EZEuywraAbLzhhLgxj_ehZ-K84YOn1uncIhUCYzu_H/s400/CIMG0917.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Okay, the last big thing I wanted to mention is the documentary, 'Food Matters', that Jeremy and I watched a few nights ago. I won't go into it tonight because, honestly, I'm falling asleep at the keyboard, and isn't this post long enough already?? But, I will definitely be writing a separate post about it soon. You should definitely watch it if you have the opportunity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh my! If you're still reading this and haven't fallen asleep, congratulations! I'm barely making it through!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Good night to all!!</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-12682274172234215702011-04-01T12:05:00.000-05:002011-04-01T12:05:08.882-05:00Strong, Fast and Happy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByacAWax1iIKYaAL5qVgYXZYPaAY6QiM1v09lXD8I6wuo5nrdFmGqRtU2xPw3NyOaiGjoa8xRyYPGI_Vv-O35qaBtSae3fECqonBX2vu2lKEY8B-M2zvhPYxT_ibukKL0EUosVTOhWQZX/s1600/CIMG0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByacAWax1iIKYaAL5qVgYXZYPaAY6QiM1v09lXD8I6wuo5nrdFmGqRtU2xPw3NyOaiGjoa8xRyYPGI_Vv-O35qaBtSae3fECqonBX2vu2lKEY8B-M2zvhPYxT_ibukKL0EUosVTOhWQZX/s400/CIMG0895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is how I felt today! And, thank goodness! It was time to clear the funk out, both physically and mentally. This week was sort of, well...blah. My running was lackluster, to say the least, and I was feeling a bit under the weather. But, this morning I woke up and, for some reason, I just felt better. (It certainly wasn't due to a wonderful night's sleep or anything. We watched two more episodes of Big Love last night. Tonight we'll watch the series finale. Phew! That show is wearing me out.) Maybe it's because it's Friday. <br />
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Or maybe it's because I got to eat a piece of this for breakfast...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5BnfN87oo8arnHNzr-Q7yLTwtodK6rSWGOt1esNsnE5V6ozGWe1WFDZktaRLya6fxNylG2KwinQQcO98mF-woQaIuR_mpoe6H51D_1Zc5Uj_PMFu5KebYhzHIcC-XgdQJBjxSMFsMsm/s1600/CIMG0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5BnfN87oo8arnHNzr-Q7yLTwtodK6rSWGOt1esNsnE5V6ozGWe1WFDZktaRLya6fxNylG2KwinQQcO98mF-woQaIuR_mpoe6H51D_1Zc5Uj_PMFu5KebYhzHIcC-XgdQJBjxSMFsMsm/s400/CIMG0892.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is the Fresh Orange Cake I "made for my staff meeting" today. This is so pathetic...I made it last night for today's meeting, and while we were watching Big Love I couldn't take it anymore. I HAD TO HAVE A PIECE!! So, I busted into it and had a slice. It.was.awesome. So, this morning, I had to figure out how to bring it to my meeting without anyone seeing that I'd already taken a slice out of it. This was my solution...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3-jqi6I19XJMtLc_qPPa9bR5Sperh6gnLO4v3ZSH1PnP0W3YsYrwNNiL1loJqZMb_d4HHQsoXquwuK7rkpQrKG9CMI7_B4Vy7901Mr27Pes43X0T3zaDpOW9DqoLaBGxo5FsT8DuOsyQ/s1600/CIMG0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3-jqi6I19XJMtLc_qPPa9bR5Sperh6gnLO4v3ZSH1PnP0W3YsYrwNNiL1loJqZMb_d4HHQsoXquwuK7rkpQrKG9CMI7_B4Vy7901Mr27Pes43X0T3zaDpOW9DqoLaBGxo5FsT8DuOsyQ/s400/CIMG0914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I sliced that baby up and arranged it beautifully on a pretty plate--HA! Nobody will ever know the difference!! (Um...except my co-workers who read my blog...but by then our meeting will be over.) So, when I was slicing it up to look pretty on a plate this morning, my husband, my son and I split one more piece. It was just as awesome as I remembered it from last night.<br />
<br />
Or, maybe I was feeling better today because of the hilarious 4-year-old April Fools jokes my son was telling me on the way to school today:<br />
<br />
Weston: Knock Knock<br />
Me: Who's there?<br />
Weston: April Fools<br />
Me: April Fools who?<br />
Weston: April Fools wants to cross the street and jump up and down!<br />
HA HA HA HA HA!!!<br />
<br />
This is the kind of stuff an almost 5-year-old boy finds funny, people. It was so cute. He was really trying to grasp the concept of April Fools Day, and it just wasn't quite clicking. But, this kid can make a knock-knock joke up about anything--and, it won't make sense, mind you--but, to him, it will be hilarious. I try to cherish these moments.<br />
<br />
Or, maybe it was the fact that the sun actually broke free from the clouds today--hallelujah!!! As I came out of the gym and squinted in surprise, I actually looked at a total stranger who was walking in and just said "Sun." like some neanderthal idiot. I think I was in a state of shock. He did not respond. Maybe he was feeling shocked too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyFZuDJnx7qPYxKOX74mZMvvDcKq-Hnarn-10_T9MO6Zg47Jhnwda4NqBCoCstnfp4Hemx0abcG-teUOqeMLFlcYw-GfqZc3Z_G9EYvOd93eRF2tJUGMYLt-ql2DGdtpo__ued4muB2vN/s1600/CIMG0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyFZuDJnx7qPYxKOX74mZMvvDcKq-Hnarn-10_T9MO6Zg47Jhnwda4NqBCoCstnfp4Hemx0abcG-teUOqeMLFlcYw-GfqZc3Z_G9EYvOd93eRF2tJUGMYLt-ql2DGdtpo__ued4muB2vN/s400/CIMG0916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> See? I'm pointing to the slice of sunshine that's streaming into our kitchen.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">Well, whatever the reason for my feeling so much better today, it made my run much more enjoyable. I felt both strong and fast. I ended up going 6.9 miles in an hour with an average pace of 8:40. I never felt overly fatigued (I mean, you should feel somewhat fatigued, right? You're running.), and I had no pain or tightness. Generally speaking, it was a joyful run. And, I had been thinking this week about finding the joy in running again, so I am very grateful that the universe decided to bestow upon me a joyful run today. Hopefully I can spread some of that joy around to others today.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu_JXzx6I0V2_DFVNc9SesTm-Djn6jR0wH4NOC0s48i4iQZ9-0RC2JFMwCFfvyPGC_yfxn39PVZ73LAmScYsre2rzyG-xNTH0_FjN5U3ziBL2PaW1ZSPQIuBxlclcnr0_hjx2Ok56oJDZ/s1600/CIMG0897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu_JXzx6I0V2_DFVNc9SesTm-Djn6jR0wH4NOC0s48i4iQZ9-0RC2JFMwCFfvyPGC_yfxn39PVZ73LAmScYsre2rzyG-xNTH0_FjN5U3ziBL2PaW1ZSPQIuBxlclcnr0_hjx2Ok56oJDZ/s400/CIMG0897.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">I mean, really, if this doesn't make you happy, then I don't know what will.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">Happy Friday, people!</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-47300217707303197442011-03-30T22:16:00.001-05:002011-03-31T09:52:36.282-05:00Instead of the gym...I just COULD NOT BEAR the thought of going to the gym and getting on the treadmill today. I've been fighting some sort of mini-obnoxious-cold-thing all week and, finally, today I just felt completely worn out. (It doesn't help that Jeremy and I have been staying up until midnight for the last three nights watching two one-hour episodes per night of the last season of Big Love. Totally obsessed with this show.) I was already talking myself out of going to the gym before I even left the house this morning, which is highly unusual. I usually really look forward to my time at the gym. But I just wasn't feelin' it. I still packed my gym bag in case I changed my mind. As my day at work went on, I felt more and more 'blah'. So, I gave myself permission to skip the gym. There was definitely a little bit of an internal struggle, since my running opportunities are relatively limited. But, instead of the gym I:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>went to Old Navy and bought my daughter some new clothes. I can barely keep her in jeans these days!!</li>
<li>went to Starbucks and got myself a grande iced latte with 2 Equals (this is the only time I will ingest artificial sweeteners, as I think they are practically poison, but the Equal just disolves so well in the cold coffee and gives it the perfect sweetness.) And--if you were wondering--no, I do not get my latte made with skim milk. It's 2% all the way, baby. We drink 1% at home but, good grief, I only go to Starbucks like 3 times a year, so what the hell.</li>
<li>went to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. Yes, we have one of those Walmarts that has a full grocery store. I used to be real snobby about Walmart and avoid it like the plague. Then I realized that they sell the big Stoneyfield Farms Organic yogurt for about $2 less than our regular grocery store. That's all it took. I'm easy.</li>
</ul>And, that was it. Then it was time to go pick up my son from preschool. As I was driving there, I was kind of wishing that I was all sweaty and worked-out like I usually am when I go to pick him up. It felt weird not to have gone running. It's become quite the habit. My friend even noticed that I was in the same clothes she'd seen me in this morning instead of my running clothes like usual. Well, there's always Friday morning...<br />
<br />
Tonight I made a <em><strong>really</strong></em> good Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry. Everybody loved it, so in my books that's a big success. It was in the most recent issue of Cooking Light (have I ever mentioned how much I love that magazine?). So, you could probably go to their website and look the recipe up, but I'll save you the trouble and give it to you right now.<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Beef-Broccoli Stir-Fry</u></em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em>3 cups hot cooked white rice (or it would also be great with brown rice--I have a great recipe for that too)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce (I used regular. For shame.), divided</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 teaspoon sugar</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut diagonally across grain into thin slices (great tip: put steak in the freezer for approx. 15 minutes before slicing--makes it a lot easier to slice evenly)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth (again, I used regular. again, for shame.)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 tablespoon cornstarch</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 tablespoon hoisin sauce</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce) *LOVE THIS STUFF!*</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2 tablespoons canola oil, divided</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (I just keep a knob of fresh ginger in the freezer and take it out to grate or chop up when needed. It stays forever in the freezer.)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2 teaspoons minced garlic (I couldn't live without a garlic press)</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>4 cups broccoli florets</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1/4 cup water</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>1/3 cup sliced green onions</em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em>1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sugar. Add sliced beef and stir to coat. Set aside.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>2. In another bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, beef broth, cornstarch, hoisin, and Sriracha.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; saute 3 minutes or until browned. Remove beef and all juices from pan. Set aside.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em>4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup of water; cook 1 minute. Add onions; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth mixture and beef mixture; cook 2 minutes or until beef is thoroughly heated and sauce is slightly thick. Serve over rice.</em></strong><br />
<br />
We at it ALL. NO leftovers. It was really good. And, for some reason, I find Chinese food the most difficult to reproduce at home. But this had just the right mixture of flavors and little bit of spicyness from the Sriracha. Sorry--no photos. Our camera battery is dead and just sitting next to the camera on our counter waiting to be charged. But the broccoli stayed a beautiful bright green and was perfectly cooked, if I do say so myself.<br />
<br />
Last night we tried another Cooking Light recipe: Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce. It was equally awesome. But, seeing that I was too tired to go to the gym today, I should get off of this computer and get my butt to bed.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">I'm feeling too lazy to come up with any good questions tonight...</span>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-4836668679419323702011-03-29T17:06:00.000-05:002011-03-29T17:06:01.719-05:00Saturday Morning Run and Running FormYAY! My friend Karen and I finally got out for an early Saturday morning run this past weekend! (I know. It's already Tuesday and I'm just getting around to this post.) We hadn't gotten out there for an early morning weekend run since before Thanksgiving and, oh, how I'd missed it! I must say, though, when the alarm went off at 6:30 it was cold and dark outside and I was more than a little bit confused.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><em>Why was the alarm going off??</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><em>Was it a weekday??</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then I remembered that I had, in fact, agreed to get up for a run...</div><br />
At that point, it wasn't sounding like that great of an idea...warm bed? cold run? warm bed? cold run? hmmm. But, luckily, there was no backing out. Karen and I were going to get out there early enough to beat the crappy weather that was heading our way. But, it was still only in the mid-30's.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZyjnrRoGPF4LIK3ZmpkcxlKnuniyO179SJgDqC0KX-Tpr2ltXjxn7uqxo0NZUz_3B-BXIcCWmbIoYf0sHxtlRje58uT9oxyL9W8oHcz3tdQ_RBstOZL8NtOEORKL40LSaUc5sNZ5aWeo/s1600/CIMG0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZyjnrRoGPF4LIK3ZmpkcxlKnuniyO179SJgDqC0KX-Tpr2ltXjxn7uqxo0NZUz_3B-BXIcCWmbIoYf0sHxtlRje58uT9oxyL9W8oHcz3tdQ_RBstOZL8NtOEORKL40LSaUc5sNZ5aWeo/s400/CIMG0879.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">Here I am being a dork while I wait on my porch for Karen to come outside.</div><div align="center"><em>Yes, I do have hair. No, that's not my actual skin color</em>.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4XatWNBiDd5hYN_Ac2LoJrqBium9fJf9geoi-1kZJYtZz9NHRNJy-NLjJR1pJcUqgws1XYon5ahhWsKgMRzyizA9Og4igLnWGY7VnP2z785erENNV0KeSMrFiIbJMNc4V86Eqp9b4f5d/s1600/CIMG0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4XatWNBiDd5hYN_Ac2LoJrqBium9fJf9geoi-1kZJYtZz9NHRNJy-NLjJR1pJcUqgws1XYon5ahhWsKgMRzyizA9Og4igLnWGY7VnP2z785erENNV0KeSMrFiIbJMNc4V86Eqp9b4f5d/s400/CIMG0881.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;">Early morning running pals!</span></div><div align="center">Gosh dangit, Karen! How do you look so cute and I look so bald and double-chinned?!<br />
(Sorry about the nostril shot, people.)</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left">Well, the cold really wasn't that bad. But, the WIND was pretty wicked. (This is becoming somewhat of a theme and I'm starting to think that I should just tell you when it's NOT windy. Sound good?) Even though the wind was howling, Karen and I were shocked when she looked down at her Garmin (God love her) and saw that we were going at an 8:30 pace. Yeehaw! Honestly, I expected to feel kind of crappy on this run, but was pleasently surprised that I felt really good. It is so good to have a friend to run with!!</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">This run took me over the 20 mile mark for the week. 23 to be exact. That's a new weekly mileage high for me. I was happy with it.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">Running Form...</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">My Monday run was back at the gym...on the treadmill. *yawn* The first 20 minutes pretty much sucked. I just <strong>could not</strong> get into it. At 6 minutes in, I gave up on running, slowed down the pace to a walk and took the incline up to 15% (sometimes I just like to see what those things can do.). After 5 minutes of that, I put the incline back down to 0% (I'm such a stud) and took it back up to running, and then realized I had to go to the bathroom (darn). When I got back from my bathroom break, I felt much more energized and had a great 30 minute run at an 8:30 pace.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">During the 30 minute portion of my run, I was thinking a lot about my form. I find that I think about this a lot more on the treadmill than I do outside. Maybe it's because there's just not that much to think about when you're running on a treadmill? Anyway, this is what I think about with reference to my form:</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><ol><li>Landing on my midfoot (aka not heel striking), and running "quick and light" (I almost laughed out loud when I typed this, because when I started running again a year ago I lovingly referred to myself as "the plodder".)</li>
<li>Keeping my hands loose and not letting my arms crossing my mid-line.</li>
<li>Keeping my shoulders relaxed. I do have to let my arms go limp every once in a while to shake out the tension. I tend to carry stress (and exhaustion) in my shoulders.</li>
</ol></div>I know there are a bunch of other things to think about with running form, but this is all I can handle at this point.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">How cold is too cold for you to run outside?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">What do you think is the most important part of running form? What do you focus on most?</span>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-41842052726283746412011-03-25T22:14:00.000-05:002011-03-25T22:14:18.414-05:00Peanut Butter, New Opportunities and Unorthodox GoalsI mentioned a recipe for a Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce/Dressing in my last post and promised to post the recipe later. Well, here it is!<br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">3 tablespoons soy sauce</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">2 tablespoons sesame oil</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">3 1/3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">2 1/2 tablespoons Asian chili paste</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">6 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">1/4 cup water</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">2 tablespoons sugar</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">2 tablespoons chopped green onions</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<em><strong><span style="color: #990000;">The recipe calls for all ingredients to be whisked together in a bowl, but I actually just put everything in the food processor. You can leave this thick to use as a sauce** for noodles or fish or as a dip for veggies or you can thin it out with another 2 tablespoons of water to use as a salad dressing. Either way, the flavors are delicious!!</span></strong></em><br />
<br />
**My sister-in-law made a Thai Chicken Salad for dinner one night during their visit with us last week. It was <em>AWESOME </em>and it's what inspired me to try to make my own homemade sauce. The salad was mixed field greens with chopped bell pepper, chopped tomato, sliced cucumber, and shredded carrots. Then she baked some boneless/skinless chicken breasts, chopped them and tossed them with a similar sauce in a sautee pan to warm the mixture. Than you spoon some of the warm chicken and peanut sauce mixture over each individual salad. Hmmm, yeah, pretty good.<br />
<br />
So, peanut butter. I'm not <em>such</em> a fan of it that I like to dip my fingers into the peanut butter jar like <a href="http://www.hungryrunnergirl.com/2011/03/12-jar-pb12-of-serving-right.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHungryRunnerGirl+%28The+Hungry+Runner+Girl%29"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Janae</span></a>. But, I do love the flavor of it and love it in stuff. Another one of my favorite peanut butter recipes is a smoothie. My kids LOVE this one...<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u><span style="color: #bf9000;">Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie</span></u></em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">4 oz. milk</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">1/3 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">one peeled banana (as if I need to say peeled...but, you never know)</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">1 tablespoon honey</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">5-6 ice cubes</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">Blend and enjoy! I like this as a post-run drink. And, if I want to make it extra "treat-y" for the kids, I use chocolate soy milk instead of regular milk and leave out the honey.</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">*****************************************************</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I've been starting to feel a bit anxious about the next school year. My little guy will be going to kindergarten, which will rock my world in more than one way. But, one thing is for sure: I'll need to work more once my kiddos are both in school full-time next year. It's been amazing to be able to be home with my kids for the last (almost) eight years, but I've been looking for a way to transition myself back into the world of making money. I've been working as a teacher's assistant a few days a week at my son's preschool this year. I love it and have been hoping I could stay on in a more expanded capacity next year (read: more hours and more money).</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><em>This week, the director asked if I'd like to attend a </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><em>'Teaching Kids Yoga' training workshop</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><em> and become our preschool's yoga teacher!! </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><em>I don't think I could say 'yes' fast enough!!</em> </span></div><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I'm not sure I could've thought up a more perfect scenario for next year. (Well, I guess something with a $75k salary would be tempting...) Some of you are probably wondering if I even do yoga. Currently, no. But, I used to do Ashtanga yoga before I had kids and I <em>loved</em> it. Getting back to yoga has always been in the back of my mind, and I'm taking this as a sign that now is the time for that to happen. That's right--it's time for a <span style="font-size: large;">yoga revival!</span> I'll keep you posted...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">*****************************************************</span><br />
I'm starting to realize that my running goals may never be like that of a lot of other runners. I think I touched on this when I wrote about being a <a href="http://eatprayrun-lisa.blogspot.com/2011/02/casual-runner-vs-serious-runner.html"><span style="color: #20124d;">"casual" runner vs. a "serious" runner</span></a>. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not training for anything! And, I'm not exactly clamoring to sign up for any races either. I've never been a very competitive person. I like to do things that make me feel proud and feel good about myself, and running is definitely one of those things. But I don't feel particularly compelled to compete against others in running. I do have running goals though. This week, I'm planning on running more than 20 total miles for the first time. I'm already at 18 for the week and my friend Karen called this evening to see if I wanted to run in the morning. That should do it! I'm also toying with the idea of running a total of 26.2 miles each week this summer (a marathon every week!). Maybe racing and setting PR's will be goals of mine in the future but, for now, I'm happy with my "unorthodox" running goals.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">*****************************************************</span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">What's your favorite way to eat peanut butter?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">Do you do yoga?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">What are your current running goals? (unorthodox or otherwise)</span>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-85058128949479834762011-03-23T22:13:00.040-05:002011-03-23T23:07:25.576-05:008 Days Without Running<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Long Post Disclaimer: </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">It's been a while since I've posted...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">you may want to grab a snack and a comfy chair.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">I didn't run for eight straight days last week</span>. I'll admit, it kind of got under my skin. But, we had family visiting who we don't get to see very often, and that trumped running (and blogging) by a long-shot. So, here's what I did last week instead of running and blogging (except for that <a href="http://eatprayrun-lisa.blogspot.com/2011/03/ants-in-my-pants-and-speed-workouts.html"><span style="color: #990000;">weird little post</span></a> I put up because I was having blogger's withdrawal. "MUST...POST...SOMETHING...") :</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbgoJQGbT9PoSnSqWCrIgbjvvK09hzuRwlB7M3OokRM-3_O9zUd7YhQPPpbBUUbhLL6sWyUkLuVdjN4rAO8fmTSQkrl9uE2pMB3Rc2kA88zlMK8b1TiCowzEKCqP6H_3-pf9gksZZO285/s1600/CIMG0816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbgoJQGbT9PoSnSqWCrIgbjvvK09hzuRwlB7M3OokRM-3_O9zUd7YhQPPpbBUUbhLL6sWyUkLuVdjN4rAO8fmTSQkrl9uE2pMB3Rc2kA88zlMK8b1TiCowzEKCqP6H_3-pf9gksZZO285/s640/CIMG0816.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Eating Thai food with my family. Yum.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw09X4wRpWxt4ow3FtbYLNGBsM8U4dXQNBtj5hdBIlworS9GFpy1iy5xdguXvd6r7EF2xWiDQruY9P22xAhOudFitS2AUL38G4nOAFBWOl4iHuHXl2NWH6us07cTuXLADXE2ONvLubZLza/s1600/CIMG0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw09X4wRpWxt4ow3FtbYLNGBsM8U4dXQNBtj5hdBIlworS9GFpy1iy5xdguXvd6r7EF2xWiDQruY9P22xAhOudFitS2AUL38G4nOAFBWOl4iHuHXl2NWH6us07cTuXLADXE2ONvLubZLza/s400/CIMG0819.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My cute neice, Lexi, waiting for her shrimp fried rice. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> My brother-in-law, Tony, looking completely enthused.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O6HOJXokXQGPD6FFLKFl2fWQ_qUtcu717dBTpLZUg5rmmJnCU7WMt_UvasHzzplER33z9cB8RJrAMIskGqlhyphenhyphenrNJ315uLDAOiHKPVLYCXcpHsgffQXbIg8LGXntMsLgCnlzeZFhWL8pj/s1600/CIMG0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7O6HOJXokXQGPD6FFLKFl2fWQ_qUtcu717dBTpLZUg5rmmJnCU7WMt_UvasHzzplER33z9cB8RJrAMIskGqlhyphenhyphenrNJ315uLDAOiHKPVLYCXcpHsgffQXbIg8LGXntMsLgCnlzeZFhWL8pj/s400/CIMG0826.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The cousins eating their lunch on the "rocking boat" at the park.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zKbmGt1deO1mD2mFF-xpeE496IkuzeXZK-zXkCl8ass_M12DHkjfdsJq4Nz29UO9R5txETCQHigDZKcOgE-c9-11yj-oSrzOB2Laey1qeFY_UL2VPMABdRaqWkpdQqXuGOI0fv3zwuRp/s1600/CIMG0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zKbmGt1deO1mD2mFF-xpeE496IkuzeXZK-zXkCl8ass_M12DHkjfdsJq4Nz29UO9R5txETCQHigDZKcOgE-c9-11yj-oSrzOB2Laey1qeFY_UL2VPMABdRaqWkpdQqXuGOI0fv3zwuRp/s400/CIMG0832.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My cutie-patootie nephew, Jake. The last time we saw him he was only 4 months old!!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Poor little guy was really sick while he was here visiting. He was a trooper though.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think he was trying to avoid the flash in this picture!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ICx2RLcBvcfVDlH0WKw3NtISeJ-6TaNvAWz5Fj-WAPSoTi1XdxN6JflY6Yl7UcwOL6r7LxW7AJBxtU-BZcYcoi20bbWUOUkxD2ZpFh40o0Gj21xkrJFe9NbctgEjLiq6p8pocWWZnCsO/s1600/CIMG0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ICx2RLcBvcfVDlH0WKw3NtISeJ-6TaNvAWz5Fj-WAPSoTi1XdxN6JflY6Yl7UcwOL6r7LxW7AJBxtU-BZcYcoi20bbWUOUkxD2ZpFh40o0Gj21xkrJFe9NbctgEjLiq6p8pocWWZnCsO/s400/CIMG0834.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some cousin love.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TqlCaDF3n0vTlsgLwwrL3s5c4TOGl8V-8MuM8rD-xnt0VpIZAglP7RjsNJbkNdj3ZgGORjZWhhWbAWUDTFPAsAWWc1zq5eyCSJu77jWT8wRJ4RfDNJFd1qSsUg1CPWu6gM-moUsVDarF/s1600/CIMG0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TqlCaDF3n0vTlsgLwwrL3s5c4TOGl8V-8MuM8rD-xnt0VpIZAglP7RjsNJbkNdj3ZgGORjZWhhWbAWUDTFPAsAWWc1zq5eyCSJu77jWT8wRJ4RfDNJFd1qSsUg1CPWu6gM-moUsVDarF/s400/CIMG0838.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's hard to get three kids to smile and look at the camera at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVCVd4RLswgTLWy3iyKF5fy5qof3Y5pqP14rUN2S8a34UIPQ87yEKwmzhTgMFW44aXsHTdAzCwdZnO4-76bAMmJ1HlQSVM5x-Y0rIxUIR1IKqIh3gLwWxFXNzybtJOzHgJ3coFBu7kP0r/s1600/CIMG0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVCVd4RLswgTLWy3iyKF5fy5qof3Y5pqP14rUN2S8a34UIPQ87yEKwmzhTgMFW44aXsHTdAzCwdZnO4-76bAMmJ1HlQSVM5x-Y0rIxUIR1IKqIh3gLwWxFXNzybtJOzHgJ3coFBu7kP0r/s400/CIMG0839.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Okay, nevermind. This clearly wasn't going to work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBmEaTBRJzxJkGWshLtgQIow3h1qcDTl2KlepYOx0NsaomrSnHQecTdY8ITyk_q_YXyI78uaDztKSTVlUynXW_NO5Auv41FBMsksi-0FpPwRPYKiBtbUs76aSPNP_HXC590x4Q66btCdx/s1600/CIMG0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBmEaTBRJzxJkGWshLtgQIow3h1qcDTl2KlepYOx0NsaomrSnHQecTdY8ITyk_q_YXyI78uaDztKSTVlUynXW_NO5Auv41FBMsksi-0FpPwRPYKiBtbUs76aSPNP_HXC590x4Q66btCdx/s400/CIMG0846.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We had some really nice spring-like weather over the weekend.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">"I am Buzz Lightyear!"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tJTjkUAKvWUoihE0BRW7RBpHugNqojc1ORkUazdsdrRija_jcKVJ5UdPmBbcIbr-iYhCbH8NA1RQjlem_63nzZ8amUFU2HD-hdEMcBNRzy6v-k_nSDFpb5pN_kGlKpYwRNcc8ylzg4Cv/s1600/CIMG0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tJTjkUAKvWUoihE0BRW7RBpHugNqojc1ORkUazdsdrRija_jcKVJ5UdPmBbcIbr-iYhCbH8NA1RQjlem_63nzZ8amUFU2HD-hdEMcBNRzy6v-k_nSDFpb5pN_kGlKpYwRNcc8ylzg4Cv/s320/CIMG0848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pure swing-happiness.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyp9bZQ6m12zP37A6cre-MIjnOexf7BNRPJvdwFbPncKBFopVQpsW2-vfoihHElO4xanhvMhqq3B80_Po78jxct2ODz5XFc-CzPvXVcCLH8pKHLofTAXWK3S9F91P2Blq-jdM35KVcYay/s1600/CIMG0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyp9bZQ6m12zP37A6cre-MIjnOexf7BNRPJvdwFbPncKBFopVQpsW2-vfoihHElO4xanhvMhqq3B80_Po78jxct2ODz5XFc-CzPvXVcCLH8pKHLofTAXWK3S9F91P2Blq-jdM35KVcYay/s400/CIMG0862.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We had some pretty warm weather over the weekend, so we were able to have </div><div style="text-align: center;">our first dinner on the deck of the season. Grilled brats, bean salad and fresh strawberries...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z5LNX1u3jvM-krOIovVA5HgFgW1x6aTlYtAUnXRVWp-Fo5XVTUEFtof_elTX2UxQiae2Wsasd06Zyuqn3OIEKmewH3xQ7ZsBfwB5pyfpMN5VYHgBrBAw7FyMHWJM45heAuiLxMLMUcKx/s1600/CIMG0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z5LNX1u3jvM-krOIovVA5HgFgW1x6aTlYtAUnXRVWp-Fo5XVTUEFtof_elTX2UxQiae2Wsasd06Zyuqn3OIEKmewH3xQ7ZsBfwB5pyfpMN5VYHgBrBAw7FyMHWJM45heAuiLxMLMUcKx/s400/CIMG0861.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">...and BEER.</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSslfTzaKMu8QduOODwtJFHfmNuLLzbmxQsmwrHAjtwWQOz8EpzfhRZ_bopiPIdzEQKzzfTjX83vQTye-egx8SarrlpOVIe5h24a6VbEeGcGAw6x0UedckVzwTMDU_dR6RkWLaGeUdYhg/s1600/CIMG0859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSslfTzaKMu8QduOODwtJFHfmNuLLzbmxQsmwrHAjtwWQOz8EpzfhRZ_bopiPIdzEQKzzfTjX83vQTye-egx8SarrlpOVIe5h24a6VbEeGcGAw6x0UedckVzwTMDU_dR6RkWLaGeUdYhg/s400/CIMG0859.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">Smile nice for the camera kids!</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After all that spring break fun, I wanted to get back to running (and blogging). On Monday it was really warm again so it seemed silly to go to the gym and run on the treadmill when it was a perfectly lovely day outside. Well, here in the midwest we have a thing called <em>wind</em>. I had apparently forgotten about that. It was probably blowing 20-30 the ENTIRE time I ran. And there's hills when you run outside. And you can't change the grade at will. You just have to run 'em. What I'm trying to say here is that it was a tough run. It was a hot, thirsty, hilly, windy, sweat-stinging-my-eyes-y mess of a run. I ran 6.4 and ended up averaging a 10:00 pace. Wow, my pace hasn't been up there for a while. But, I did stop for a few (um, I think five) walk breaks when the hills were really kickin' my heiny. So now I'll tell you about the aftermath of that run...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I usually run on Mondays and Wednesdays after I'm done working at my son's preschool and while he's still enjoying two more hours of pre-school fun. I also usually stop by Walmart (keepin' it real) one of these two days after I'm done running. Monday was one of those days. It was so hot Monday that I didn't put on any kind of jacket over my running tank to go into Walmart. It doesn't bother me to go into a public place stanky and looking like...well, I went for a run. I just don't care. I mean, I like to look (and smell) good just as much as the next gal, but most of the time I just don't care. But, it seemed as if people were sort of <em>looking</em> at me in Walmart. Was everyone giving me an extra-friendly smile? My, what a nice midwestern town we live in! Hmmm. When I went to pick up my son we went into the bathroom at his preschool and I got a gander at myself in the mirror. Most of you have probably heard of the term 'sweetheart', but have you ever heard the term 'sweat-heart'?!?!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UXH3l0mC5DDn-vGgLixmptroo4fRXy5sRFFgl99WItNg6FAr6l5vFDMquN1FJa981QAdz2d9dyX6f3af4T8HU_faLYd7Sw6lyzFBTVlgOjSw1JAYYJb-zSU8tGXYitpNMdJVHsd2DVCq/s1600/CIMG0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UXH3l0mC5DDn-vGgLixmptroo4fRXy5sRFFgl99WItNg6FAr6l5vFDMquN1FJa981QAdz2d9dyX6f3af4T8HU_faLYd7Sw6lyzFBTVlgOjSw1JAYYJb-zSU8tGXYitpNMdJVHsd2DVCq/s400/CIMG0868.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Holy Crap. I had a 'sweat-heart'.</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(And I look pretty happy about it in this picture.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, no, the people of Walmart were not simply bestowing their goodwill upon me. They were all but pointing and laughing!! And, I have to say, I can't blame them. I had a pretty good laugh about it myself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYr6S2ItkfGAkhID3yiySMDKAhSAJzL2URfDZSEOzPnqKKsOdEXyobjxDvnxkxNPkkLOAZ6RQCp6o_LiGSH1sLXc-_DxLjIJKvbdU0UloS9mpIJ62T7SBpzbpTZ32DplHrr18LZTtFa3o_/s1600/CIMG0870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYr6S2ItkfGAkhID3yiySMDKAhSAJzL2URfDZSEOzPnqKKsOdEXyobjxDvnxkxNPkkLOAZ6RQCp6o_LiGSH1sLXc-_DxLjIJKvbdU0UloS9mpIJ62T7SBpzbpTZ32DplHrr18LZTtFa3o_/s400/CIMG0870.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I was also reminded that running outside for an hour at 1:30 in the afternoon requires </div><div style="text-align: center;">a bit of sunscreen. I'm getting a good start on my tank-top tan.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I forgot to take a picture of it, but my fingers after running outside on a warm day = large sausages (Brats, perhaps?) I swell like no other person I know.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I got home on Monday and checked the mail there was a package from my Uncle Bruce. I couldn't imagine what it was. I opened it up to find that he'd sent me his Camelbak! He'd seen that it was on my <a href="http://eatprayrun-lisa.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-running-wish-lisa-and-my-achin-shins.html"><span style="color: #990000;">running wish list</span></a>. It was just about the coolest thing that he'd thought to send me his.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNArU4SrZA6jV4ERghbhLUk_SlGXkJPm7aaAnPohkxyh2iRu-P5RUm2j2lH_ghK2jSZCoLRlC3lUV3JknedKYlacZezZphplQ4AFkZg6mVa5zpvJ2LECgoB9jBwTiBzuMMFSzw3u4rb9s/s1600/CIMG0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNArU4SrZA6jV4ERghbhLUk_SlGXkJPm7aaAnPohkxyh2iRu-P5RUm2j2lH_ghK2jSZCoLRlC3lUV3JknedKYlacZezZphplQ4AFkZg6mVa5zpvJ2LECgoB9jBwTiBzuMMFSzw3u4rb9s/s400/CIMG0869.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">I think I'll try it out this weekend!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Thanks Uncle Bruce!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh my, I had other things I was going to write about, like the delicious Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce/Dressing recipe I just tried and the butterscotch and white chocolate chip cookie bars I made for my husband's birthday, but those will just have to wait until another post. I need to shut this thing down!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">What fun things have you been doing over your spring break (if you're lucky enough to get one)?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Have you ever had a 'sweat-heart'??</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-21980907276389460782011-03-16T22:22:00.000-05:002011-03-16T22:22:44.332-05:00Ants In My Pants and Speed WorkoutsIt's our spring break here this week, and we have been blessed with a visit from some of our family from Maine (hence, my lack of posting). Our kiddos have been having a blast playing with their cousins, who they get to see far too infrequently. We've had some bizarre weather the last four days. It snowed on Monday and it's supposed to be almost 80 degrees tomorrow. Weird, but I'll take it. The last few days of warmer weather has given me a serious case of 'ants in my pants'. I have been absolutely<strong><em> ITCHING</em></strong> to get out for a run, but spending the time with family has taken (and should take) precedence.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong>But, I think I may sneak out early tomorrow morning...</strong></span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, I was pretty excited to find out from a friend who works at the high school just up the road from our neighborhood that using their track for speed workouts should be no problem. Now, I just have to figure out what a speed workout is...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Do you ever feel guilty for "squeezing" your runs/workouts in during times when you know there are more important things going on?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">What exactly does a speed workout entail?</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-63590503102546613632011-03-12T22:34:00.000-06:002011-03-12T22:34:53.608-06:00On the road again...well, the sidewalk, mostly.So much for getting into that zone where I "<em>forget that I'm running</em>". Yeah, this morning that seemed like a distant memory. I went for my first Saturday morning outside run since...well, November, I guess. I didn't have my neighbor-friend, Karen, with me so I was all by my lonesome out there. (Poor me, having to run outside on a beautiful Saturday morning, right? It's <em>possible</em> that there are worse things in the world.)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Turns out I'm not all that keen on running by myself outside.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>I think I've been spoiled.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>I missed having the company of my running pal.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Each step seemed like work today, and I was worried when I stopped that I'd only gone like three miles or something. But, a quick drive of the route (aka "the ghetto Garmin method of measuring the distance of your run") showed that I ran exactly five. Today's route was super hilly, and the wind kept messing with me too. Every time I thought it was at my back giving me a little boost, it would whip around and blast me in the face, just to remind me who was boss (hint: it wasn't me). My average pace ended up being 9:18, which I'm okay with considering the hills and the wind. Overall, not my best run ever, but I was happy to have the sun on my face.<br />
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As spring and summer approach and outdoor running becomes a reality again (for those of us who live in the frozen tundra, that is), I wanted to mention something that I never leave home without on my outdoor runs. It's my <a href="http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx"><strong><span style="color: blue;">RoadID</span></strong></a> band. I'd never heard of them until my neighbor/friend/running pal told me about them last summer. She had one and told me I should get one for myself. If something should ever happen to me on the road, it's got my name, my birth year, my husband's first name and our home phone number. There's also an online form that you fill out with any medical information you might want a paramedic to know that can be accessed by using the serial and pin number on the back of the ID band. I thought it was a great idea, and for twenty bucks it's well worth the peace of mind it gives my husband (such a worrier, that man!). So, here's what it looks like...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChxOApqUBJKmitYyLWjs6xoVqnSobwKjOMWc4sXtmIRG3oSOSqjAidg5rxKjDoV_tdjQ2HDXTbXggOXd5XDYj9Jc8KGkDsHn0UDWKheeqkvuxfe9aY_Hdmr83_trXEBZ6LAdltsCXdb_D/s1600/CIMG0767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChxOApqUBJKmitYyLWjs6xoVqnSobwKjOMWc4sXtmIRG3oSOSqjAidg5rxKjDoV_tdjQ2HDXTbXggOXd5XDYj9Jc8KGkDsHn0UDWKheeqkvuxfe9aY_Hdmr83_trXEBZ6LAdltsCXdb_D/s400/CIMG0767.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The serial and PIN # are on the back of the engraved ID plate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Wigr450qpFhZjWfVo42ktt1XF36iXWFMuIjqZ8cHWz6U1qMDcd3t0LpKnYS8ZpjlHoA_IdEpovN5Dcua_aGSuKvflcMvDdZ6PtTTCvbONkV41P9FOEETWLx8waKw_h5wW_jOgzlxTim/s1600/CIMG0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Wigr450qpFhZjWfVo42ktt1XF36iXWFMuIjqZ8cHWz6U1qMDcd3t0LpKnYS8ZpjlHoA_IdEpovN5Dcua_aGSuKvflcMvDdZ6PtTTCvbONkV41P9FOEETWLx8waKw_h5wW_jOgzlxTim/s400/CIMG0771.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It has an adjustable nylon velcro band.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">*****************************************************</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Have I mentioned my newest obsession, Chobani yogurt?!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1xiX-ECDK8TPOydSK9_d5BTR2nzVXBcwySr-l7dZJ5WZdnOl9peVCMQ4dsPPziEiA6w5eqfNrcD2qYbYsxfhf7TxApFKMygxEASnpDiGrO9uqlEffAI7E-6l260oBjtitqf7WhPuYiFx/s1600/CIMG0774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1xiX-ECDK8TPOydSK9_d5BTR2nzVXBcwySr-l7dZJ5WZdnOl9peVCMQ4dsPPziEiA6w5eqfNrcD2qYbYsxfhf7TxApFKMygxEASnpDiGrO9uqlEffAI7E-6l260oBjtitqf7WhPuYiFx/s400/CIMG0774.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Realized this week that Costco carries it. Booya! (Think we have enough yogurt in there? And, yes, that's a 2 1/2 year old bottle of champagne in the back.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">*******************************************************</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was no dinner plan tonight (sorry to say, not uncommon for me) so I had to try to pull something together with what we had around (and Chobani yogurt was not an option. boo.). So we ended up having "The Green Meal". I had a bag of baby spinach and some broccoli that needed to be used. So I made Spinach Walnut Pesto.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4iWiIN1CD6R1U9noAcQLYibPH777HAY9Y8rOaML8Q9OjXzVcr4dhGdxzZSX29ze-o91ao7QEFIyJh3tFzy-zM-jslFuTq0-8XrWwIpoh3VkLR6-35u9HeO60q7Aj_v815yN0-7cGIoai/s1600/CIMG0788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4iWiIN1CD6R1U9noAcQLYibPH777HAY9Y8rOaML8Q9OjXzVcr4dhGdxzZSX29ze-o91ao7QEFIyJh3tFzy-zM-jslFuTq0-8XrWwIpoh3VkLR6-35u9HeO60q7Aj_v815yN0-7cGIoai/s400/CIMG0788.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's so fast. You just put everything in the food processor and turn it on.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH2EWebny_ZINSrgnPE85w4dXBTDNV0UGn0vxaB0yRrv-oqFX9WP7nrDbhM_TSeY4-xqZa8e6Mz0LHWrtPqKCZqUdckDOOg5WUCsSxmMpqFdg8mF9qudTneeAWuozpYtBuVPwxS0VZ5xB/s1600/CIMG0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH2EWebny_ZINSrgnPE85w4dXBTDNV0UGn0vxaB0yRrv-oqFX9WP7nrDbhM_TSeY4-xqZa8e6Mz0LHWrtPqKCZqUdckDOOg5WUCsSxmMpqFdg8mF9qudTneeAWuozpYtBuVPwxS0VZ5xB/s400/CIMG0794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ta-da!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSoCGK8jgbtjFjd_Td3xi8IuVWeadSCEo4Y8ZS5VhwCpc5c20sSHQnP7FeCQfjP-h8ihODZMD6A5FWiLVvsx1ptZK16JVAXNVL-qRrwWXrsK5fANi-y0A-uD6ZYzXQe3MRBJ-sMCHD266/s1600/CIMG0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSoCGK8jgbtjFjd_Td3xi8IuVWeadSCEo4Y8ZS5VhwCpc5c20sSHQnP7FeCQfjP-h8ihODZMD6A5FWiLVvsx1ptZK16JVAXNVL-qRrwWXrsK5fANi-y0A-uD6ZYzXQe3MRBJ-sMCHD266/s400/CIMG0812.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">To complete "The Green Meal" I cooked some pasta and steamed the broccoli and tossed it all together with the Spinach Walnut Pesto. My daughter ate two bowls of it! My son, not so much. But he did scarf down about 74 blueberries. I guess he had "The Blue Meal" in mind.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em><u>Spinach Walnut Pesto</u></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>1/2 cup walnuts, toasted</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>3 garlic cloves</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>2 tablespoons olive oil</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>1/4 teaspoon sea salt</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>Place all ingredients into food processor and process to a fine paste. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Transfer to a glass container and top with a thin coat of olive oil to prevent pesto from discoloring. Keeps well for weeks in the refrigerator.</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">*******************************************************</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-awArHPX4kojqHHqLOEKNn5O_GPUXgfstXrZNmXmIVB_EqbKJUPHl10EpaAzFIZDJbbxn1jScfNqqc_wSl7NT4pVB0ZcVZP-7bPAvCJYhWsYBA4ppEOiKFCHyYee7JRs_2NVy4AWTTss/s1600/CIMG0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-awArHPX4kojqHHqLOEKNn5O_GPUXgfstXrZNmXmIVB_EqbKJUPHl10EpaAzFIZDJbbxn1jScfNqqc_wSl7NT4pVB0ZcVZP-7bPAvCJYhWsYBA4ppEOiKFCHyYee7JRs_2NVy4AWTTss/s400/CIMG0777.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yeah!! It was nice enough for the kids to swing outside in the back yard today! My husband built that swingset himself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0ie1O8LGVSEpD_77M8L-Wximpcu3eRglBxUluH0XXAGGliRiU2TeBcTw-qi667OsVPVIa7MprlkNOe6daUb0_F-85ENPGXJ5Et7emUoOp83jMCEXEU3OtJROken160rYmv0OTk1dIGnQ/s1600/CIMG0784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0ie1O8LGVSEpD_77M8L-Wximpcu3eRglBxUluH0XXAGGliRiU2TeBcTw-qi667OsVPVIa7MprlkNOe6daUb0_F-85ENPGXJ5Et7emUoOp83jMCEXEU3OtJROken160rYmv0OTk1dIGnQ/s400/CIMG0784.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have I mentioned that he's really crafty?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Is there something you never leave home without when you head out for a run?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Any latest obsessions you'd like to share?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Hope you're having a great weekend!</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-27306335975128826752011-03-09T21:24:00.000-06:002011-03-09T21:24:17.230-06:00An out of body treadmill experience...I had a strange thing happen today. I was on the treadmill and, for just a moment...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><em>I kind of forgot I was running.</em></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It was like when you're driving a really familiar route and you sort of space off for a while and then go "Oh. How did I get to this exit?", and realize that you don't <em>exactly</em> remember the last few minutes of your drive. Well today, about 50 minutes into my run I had the same experience (except with my legs instead of my car). I don't think I've ever allowed my mind to wander that far off while running before. It was like being on auto-pilot. It kind of freaked me out for a second. But, then I thought about how awesome it would be to be able to get into that frame of mind during a longer race. To just turn it on and zone out. Obviously, this meant I wasn't pushing myself terribly hard today, but I was running at a pace that I'd be happy with for a half marathon. I ran close to 8 miles today--farther than I've run for some months now--and it felt really good. I felt like I could've kept going, but it was time to pick up my little guy from preschool. Today's run made me feel like I could definitely pull off a half in under two hours this year. I would be plenty happy with that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So, I think all of this body jostling (aka running) may be wreaking havoc on my lower intestines (if you know what I mean *wink wink*). And, speaking of wreaking, my husband has politely asked me to take a break from all the beans for a few days. You know what they say "beans, beans, the magical fruit..." I made chili, with both black beans and kidney beans, for dinner last night and had a big salad for lunch today with a bunch of garbanzo beans on it. And then, this is what we had for dinner tonight:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sCLFYszjzwZVqC7fzcyhCfb0MH4eUsJLHCIEKjylLBXV9FX4JCkpVK4wgWoIGVp3dNqAMIZjjCQvqVvfC85M4mQPl982eyXBWHlg1iT681cKoyZwZj0BtOic7mwek26WnizjZ0IzWlrw/s1600/CIMG0763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sCLFYszjzwZVqC7fzcyhCfb0MH4eUsJLHCIEKjylLBXV9FX4JCkpVK4wgWoIGVp3dNqAMIZjjCQvqVvfC85M4mQPl982eyXBWHlg1iT681cKoyZwZj0BtOic7mwek26WnizjZ0IzWlrw/s400/CIMG0763.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">I almost got away from beans but, alas...not so much. Refried black beans with our cheese quesadillas, avocado, salsa and fat-free plain greek yogurt (this is my new sour cream substitute--love it).</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Do you ever go into "auto-pilot mode" during your runs/workouts?</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Does running mess with your digestive system?</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="color: black;">***Now I've got to go figure out how "The Tooth Fairy" is going to scrounge up a couple bucks for my little girl, who lost her fifth tooth tonight after dinner! There is no cash in this house right now!! And, this "Tooth Fairy" usually delivers a new book along with the money. I hope there's still some in the secret stash!***</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8333002848038496472.post-2568673172891928662011-03-08T10:00:00.000-06:002011-03-08T10:00:46.061-06:00Back at it...After a four day <em>unintentional</em> break from running (sometimes life just gets busy) I re-acquainted myself with the treadmill yesterday. I went back to the one with the up-in-your-face screen, since it seems to provide better shock absorption than the other kinds at the gym. I'm willing to put up with the obnoxiously close screen to get less wear and tear on my joints. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Plus</em>, I can stare at the reflection of my own sweaty face the whole time I'm running, complete with it's pained </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">"please, dear God, let this be over"</span></em> expression.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">*Bonus*</span> </div><br />
That aside, yesterday's run went pretty well. I was still sore from my ab/core workout on Saturday (getting up out of bed yesterday was interesting), so I was able to really feel how engaged my core was during my run. It gave me a good perspective on how important the core muscles are for running. (Mental note: keep working on strengthening your core.) And, I'm please to say that, for the first time, I was able to pull out a <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">7:30 mile</span> yesterday. Wow. I'm not really sure how some of you people are running sub-7's. Amazing. At a 7:30 pace, I was basically at an<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em>all-out sprint.</em></span></span></div><br />
At least, that's what it felt like. I mean, I don't think I've ever run that fast, unless I was trying to chase down my dog after she'd jumped the fence or something. And I most definitely was not about to try another one yesterday. One was plenty, <em><strong>thank you very much</strong></em>. In fact, after I finished it, I took a few minutes to actually <em>walk </em>on the treadmill<em>.</em> Haven't had to do that for a while.<br />
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To change the subject completely, I am really starting to look forward to spring and summer!! Aside from just being ready for warmer weather, my neighbor/friend and I were talking yesterday about getting back to our Saturday morning long runs sometime in April. I can.not.wait. I've really been missing them. And, on a mommy note, I've been making all kinds of plans in my head for this summer with my kids. It's kind of a momentous summer for me, since my little guy will be heading off to kindergarten in the fall <strong>(</strong>*sniff*<strong>).</strong> It feels like a really big crossroads for me--the end of my stay-at-home mommyhood. Feels kind of like there will have to be a sort of "re-invention" of me, in a way. (Am I getting too dramatic here?)<br />
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Well, in keeping with the mommy theme, here's something my kids love to get in their lunch...<br />
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<div align="center"><em><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Mini Cinnamon Rolls</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35oo6VIvup6k_1be7fSPrWkhpnwnY11sZd6SF2DgQkMRMrRoDmOuXTSibNPGaHNj5d69aLMXx0OyNCHsPefOctVBWDdAACb_GEW85PX9x61HerU_Q39D_NHz0Ej8ECCk81aw2QNPusezJ/s1600/CIMG0740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35oo6VIvup6k_1be7fSPrWkhpnwnY11sZd6SF2DgQkMRMrRoDmOuXTSibNPGaHNj5d69aLMXx0OyNCHsPefOctVBWDdAACb_GEW85PX9x61HerU_Q39D_NHz0Ej8ECCk81aw2QNPusezJ/s400/CIMG0740.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">1. Use a rolling pin to flatten one or two pieces of bread, cutting off the crust with a pizza cutter. As you can see, we use the kind of bread that has lots of seedy, nutty things in it. I've tried to convince my kids that this is normal. I think it's possible that I'm making them "those" kids. You know the kids I'm talking about. Example: A few months ago someone mentioned Twinkies, and my kids were like "what's a Twinkie?" I felt proud but sort of like I'd failed them all at the same time...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn09M9-XaXgVXSADUHswIHBKe5HEpowxOBoEkG3ofxb-CmDLsaqmsvge7syJm93Fmp3bFLa3imzAU2sT5IfDTLMgL_RR1t6fditiLFhXHJ41mxW70_D5Jor932QyDNDYXDUZ2n9KzzocI/s1600/CIMG0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn09M9-XaXgVXSADUHswIHBKe5HEpowxOBoEkG3ofxb-CmDLsaqmsvge7syJm93Fmp3bFLa3imzAU2sT5IfDTLMgL_RR1t6fditiLFhXHJ41mxW70_D5Jor932QyDNDYXDUZ2n9KzzocI/s400/CIMG0745.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">2. Spread cream cheese or butter on the bread and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-iliw7Og-AkxVGqb7bHblZf7o7kKYGLWQw_weC-_Br5vhv8DrnqQBhzdI_ykeqsmbwSon5THNI9ILic343l2WaDdzY-DMXgUtsmcClWhzVNkYxlILK2HrG1lMAHUF8lHE0uOvcCyK8Fv/s1600/CIMG0747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-iliw7Og-AkxVGqb7bHblZf7o7kKYGLWQw_weC-_Br5vhv8DrnqQBhzdI_ykeqsmbwSon5THNI9ILic343l2WaDdzY-DMXgUtsmcClWhzVNkYxlILK2HrG1lMAHUF8lHE0uOvcCyK8Fv/s400/CIMG0747.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">3. Roll the bread up tightly.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk1OdmVoocp0Bs6meaWexmG_mBJKv1aXkePGzCP3wLkoxReoinmVtRgjFq9Qbzin2yobvIZilgNruYMRAfPXi2b9GbbZqXPON-7tclAhn0_52FffYmtsnPC8m5_wbTa_LHA4ID9gzMQw2/s1600/CIMG0757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk1OdmVoocp0Bs6meaWexmG_mBJKv1aXkePGzCP3wLkoxReoinmVtRgjFq9Qbzin2yobvIZilgNruYMRAfPXi2b9GbbZqXPON-7tclAhn0_52FffYmtsnPC8m5_wbTa_LHA4ID9gzMQw2/s400/CIMG0757.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Slice into "mini cinnamon rolls".</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, that's what's in my little girl's lunch box today. We got the idea from a doll tea party book she has, with all kinds of recipes for doll-sized treats.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Will your running/training routine change significantly once warmer weather arrives?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Mommies: How have you dealt with your kiddos heading off to school? And, what are your kids favorite lunchbox treats?</span></div>Lisa @ Eat.Pray.Run.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15745215384894231968noreply@blogger.com8